The House Committee on Health has approved a measure seeking to convert the Salvacion Oppus-Yñiguez Memorial Provincial Hospital in the city of Maasin, Southern Leyte as a Tertiary Level III Hospital.
The House panel, chaired by Quezon 4th District Rep. Angelina "Helen" Tan passed House Bill No. 7387, principally authored by Southern Leyte 1st District Rep. Roger Mercado, Tingog Sinirangan partylist Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez, and House Majority Leader and Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin Romualdez.
Mercado urged his colleagues to support their measure, which seeks to upgrade the hospital's bed capacity from 100 to 300.
This aims to provide easy, affordable and timely access to tertiary heath care for the people of Southern Leyte, especially the poor, and persons with disabilities (PWDs), he said.
HB No. 7387 calls for the upgrading of the existing service facilities and professional health care services of the proposed Salvacion Oppus-Yñiguez Memorial Medical Center.
“The increase in bed capacity, upgrade of its facilities and a workforce commensurate to the increase would provide a more effective and efficient delivery of medical services and healthcare to the people of Southern Leyte. Hence, the passage of this bill is of utmost importance to guarantee health for all and uplift the quality of life and well-being of the people in Southern Leyte,” the authors said.
The bill tasks the Department of Health (DOH) to take full administrative and technical supervision, control and management of the proposed Medical Center.
Under 7387, the proposed Medical Center is expected to provide teaching, training and research facilities for students in medicine, nursing, therapy, X-ray technology, and other allied health profession in the province of Southern Leyte.
The Salvacion Oppus-Yñiguez Memorial Medical Center will also be engaged in scientific research in the prevention of diseases and the care and treatment of patient and related activities including the grant of scholarships, and conduct of relevant conventions, seminars and conference, the bill provides.
HB 7387 provides that the increase in bed capacity shall be implemented for a period of not more than five years from the effectivity of the proposed Act. The number of plantilla employees of the Medical Center, including doctors, nurses and support personnel shall also be increased correspondingly, it said.
Under the measure, "the upgrade shall include, but not necessarily be limited to, the purchase or acquisition of land, the construction of additional hospital infrastructure, which will house hospital areas, rooms, wards, and laboratory units,” to ensure the efficient delivery of the hospital healthcare services.
The DOH is mandated to immediately include in the program of the DOH the implementation of the proposed Act, the funding of which shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act (GAA).
“The provincial government of Southern Leyte shall continue to provide the same level of financial assistance to the Salvacion Oppus-Yñiguez Memorial Medical Center until such time that the national government shall have fully funded the capital outlay requirements of the hospital, its operating expenses and personnel compensation in the annual GAA,” according to the bill.
HHB 7387 tasks the DOH to issue the implementing rules and regulations of the proposed Act.