“Our dream of enhancing the health programs and services for the Ilonggos is a step closer to reality,” said Iloilo City Rep. Julienne “Jamjam” Baronda, the main proponent of House Bill (HB) No. 10464 creating the hospital.
The bill has counterparts in the Senate, including those sponsored by Senators Christopher “Bong” Go and Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri.
The proposed hospital will be owned and managed by the Iloilo City government. It will be built using a P500-million loan from the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP).
With the recent passage of the bill, the future hospital will also get additional funding from the national government.
Mayor Jerry Treñas here has earlier reiterated the need to create a new hospital as a way to decongest the volume of patients going to both private hospitals and the two-government run hospitals located in this city, the regional capital of Western Visayas or Region 6.
The hospital that will rise in Barangay San Pedro in Molo district will have a 200-bed capacity. City officials assured the hospital will be open to non-city residents.