The Department of Health (DOH) has now laid certain criteria for the construction of the proposed 50-bed capacity hospital here, and Dr. Raul Villanueva, of the City Health Unit sees full completion of the requirements with the help of the four teams that are working it out: Financial, Policy, Engineering and Human Resource.
In his report to City Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda, Dr. Raul Villanueva said that, the health agency requires and must be convinced that there is a need for another health facility in the area, given the Eastern Samar Provincial Hospital (ESPH) and Borongan Doctors Hospital (BORDOC) both situated in the City.
Dr. Villanueva said that the population to bed ratio is one criterion which DOH looks into but he has this to say. “ESPH is a 100 bed capacity hospital while BORDOC has 60. However, in the last three years, 2017-2019, ESPH had a 119% bed occupancy rate while BORDOC had a 158%. Meaning, there were more patients who availed of the two facilities which were more than each of their capacity and budget, and thus the need for another health facility,” Dr. Raul said.
Add to this he said, the pending Bill of Congresswoman Ma. Fe. Abunda, converting ESPH into Eastern Samar Medical Center (ESMC). Simply put, if this happens, ESPH will become a Level 3 (college) institution which will cater to more complicated illnesses and that requires expertise. With the upgrading of ESPH to ESMC, ordinary (LEVEL1) illnesses could be left unattended or will be taken care of by the private hospital, which is likewise overwhelmed with patients having an occupancy rate of more than its capacity.
“The future ESMC, targets to offer 300 beds and will also become a Training Hospital for Doctors completing residency requirements,” Dr. Villanueva further informed.
Thus, the construction and establishment of the Borongan City Hospital is just in time to cater to the medical care needs of Boronganons in particular and nearby towns in general.
DOH likewise looks at the Travel Time which should be more than an hour from an existing hospital. But Dr. Villanueva is positive this can be considered because the City Hospital will also be serving patients from San Julian, Maydolong, and Balangkayan which compose the Inter-local Health Zone. (ILHZ).
The City Government is also hopeful that Congress will support the proposed project with the strong back up of the former lady chief executive and now Representative of the Lone District of Eastern Samar, Honorable Ma. Fe R. Abunda . It is also lobbying for the support of the Provincial Sangunian, Sangguniang Panlungsod ng Borongan and the 61 Barangays of the Borongan City.
Other attachments could be required as to the interest of barangay officials, which, as of press time, only four barangay captains have yet to endorse, while majority have done their favorable endorsements.
A similar study is also on going targeting sectoral viewpoints.
For Mayor Agda, at the start, he was not sold to the project, saying it could sow political remarks, or worse, the City LGU might just be spending exorbitantly for its maintenance and operation while its usefulness is minimal to nil. A White Elephant he called it.
“But with the COVID-19 onslaught, you never knew my anxiety as Mayor, the City having no decent place to assign would-be patients.” he said. “Thanks to Bayanihan 1 Grant which helped us built the Isolation Facilities in Maypangdan, Sta. Fe, Campesao, San Jose and Benowangan,” he added.
“I wish to push through with the hospital of our own, this will grow I assure you, basta wara la corruption, this may not be for us, the current generation, but for our future children and their children,” Mayor Agda stressed to media in the recent presscon.
The establishment of the hospital will complement the City Poverty Alleviation iniative (Dukwag Agrikultura). This will ensure that assistance to farmers will not be put to waste as they will be “health protected” by the hospital in times of needs.
In earlier reports, each hospital bed of the future hospital has a budget of a hundred million a year which could suffice for the needs of patients from food, medicines and all.
The 50 bed Level 1 hospital will allocate four wards (OB, IM, PEDIA and SURGERY) to serve majority of the ILHZ constituents. Another ward of 5 to 10 bed will be allocated as ISOLATION ROOM for Emerging Diseases like COVID 19. There is also a proposal to retain 10 percent of authorized bed to cater to PRIVATE patients who wish to stay in a suite room. It hopes that the earnings will support the needs of the WARDS’ admitted patients.
The doctor also shared that a surgeon could be the only one in “wanting”, because at present, the City has already a Pediatrician, OB-Gyne, Internal Medicines, and he for one, is a well-trained Anesthesiologist.
Presently, the City Government of Borongan has already in place a 28-bed Isolation Facility in Barangay Campesao, with modern medical equipment. The plan is to upgrade this facility and account for the proposed 50-bed Borongan City Hospital which means only 22 beds would be needing a structure.
Dr. Villanueva shared further, that a 5-storey building of the hospital has been proposed to DOH but the City Government can settle first for a one or second-storey building. #
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