DOH Donates P35M To Davao Oriental To Upgrade Health Facilities
CITY OF MATI, DAVAO ORIENTAL (August 20, 2011)
By Ferdinand Zuasola -
The Department of Health is donating at least P35 million cash assistance to the province of Davao Oriental to help upgrade its local government-run health facilities like the provincial and district hospitals including the rural health units.
During a simple turnover ceremony held at the provincial government-run Davao Oriental Provincial Hospital in the City of Mati, Governor Corazon Malanyaon says the P35 million DOH donation to the province is a big boost to her administration’s flagship health program.
“We are going to use the funds for the purpose for which the donation or assistance is intended. I would like to believe that the Department of Health was inspired to help us because we had taken a lot of initiatives as far as construction of hospitals as well as health concerns,” says Gov. Malanyaon during her speech at the turnover ceremony.
The Department of Health represented by its regional director for Southern Mindanao Dr. Gene Baluma vows to extend more financial assistance to the local government units in the Davao Region to help them upgrade its health facilities. “Part of the strategic thrusts of the Department of Health is the health facility enhancement because as you can see, since the start of devolution, most of the health facilities in the country like hospitals and rural health units are being poorly managed by the local government units. Because of budgetary constraints, the LGUs can hardly repair the health facilities. Most of the government hospitals in the region that we have visited are already dilapidated and they are aslo poorly equipped. This horrible neglect of our government hospitals is all due to lack of funds. That is why the Department of Health is doing its best to help the LGUs upgrade its health facilities. We wanted government hospitals and rural health units to offer quality services to the people especially the poor who are the number one users of government health facilities,” says DOH Regional Director Dr. Gene Baluma.
The Local Government Code of 1991 has caused the devolution of health services from the Department of Health to the provincial and municipal and city local government units. The preventive care through the rural health units and barangay health stations was devolved to the municipalities and cities, while the provincial government takes over the management of the provincial, district and municipal and city hospitals.
“This P35 million donation is intended to help upgrade the health facilities and expand the capacity and to have access to quality health care for our people especially the poor, and to help us decongest the Davao Regional Hospital and the Southern Philippines Medical Center. As you can see, most of the illnesses that were brought to the Davao Regional Hospital and the Southern Philippines Medical Center can be handled by the provincial and district hospitals,” says Dr. Baluma.
The DOH has earlier lauded Governor Malanyaon for her administration’s successful health care program that saw the expansion of its provincial hospital from 100-bed to its present 200-bed capacity and the acquisition of state-of-the-art medical equipment for the Davao Oriental Provincial Hospital.
The secretary of the Department of Health Dr. Enrique Ona says the 200-bed capacity Davao Oriental Provincial Hospital which is the legacy project of Governor Malanyaon elevates the standard of health care delivery system for public hospitals. Governor Malanyaon says the tertiary, Capitol-run provincial hospital will provide high-quality medical care to the poor patients who cannot afford the services of private hospitals.
“The new Davao Oriental Provincial Hospital is an icon of my leadership’s commitment to the people of the province. It is not only a realization of our development agenda but a statement that things can be done with efficiency and excellence. Collaboratively with my partners in leadership as I am not alone in this, we have addressed our pressing deficiencies. The insufficiency of access to health services, malnutrition and poverty are not as formidable as they seemed now that we have proven we can make things happen,” says the governor.
“We may be overwhelmed by this beautiful structure but this is only a part of our whole perspective for an improved health care system. We will continue to address issues on delivery of social services, continue to expand our preventive health care program that will build up the poor. We dedicate this symbol of hope and love to the people of Davao Oriental and to all who will seek healing refuge,” says Governor Malanyaon.
”I think it is worthwhile relating to you that four years ago, ang sitwasyon sa among hospital makalolooy gayud. Sa gisulti pa lagi nila nga nahisama sya sa kanta nga Monalisa. The people ‘just lie there and die there.’ But then since the leadership of the provincial government has taken the health program as a flagship program. Four years ago, muntik na kaming na downgrade into a secondary hospital. So we tried to work it out that we will again be back to the original status of a tertiary hospital. It used to be a 100-bed capacity hospital. So again, it is something that I would like to emphasize nga mas maayo jud kong naa tay inisyatibo. It is so inspiring that we just got an assistance from people who have seen our efforts and determination to make things happen. From a meager sum of P2.5 million, according to provincial health officer Dr. Malintad, how can we build a new hospital, how can we build the outpatient department, how can we repair the old hospital building with only P2.5 million as the remaining budget for capital outlay. So I said to him let’s just start with P2.5 million. We started the out-patient complex and we were able to finish it in just six months. The Department of Health saw the efforts, nagbigay sila ng reimbursement or refund. So we started the groundbreaking of the repair of the old hospital and the groundbreaking of the new hospital. In just a year, the new hospital was completed. This is now the new hospital which is a 200-bed capacity. So as I said, this is a work of love,” Governor Malanyaon told the visiting DOH officials and other regional executives of national government agencies.
The province of Davao Oriental has five hospitals located in the municipalities of Cateel, Manay, Lupon, Governor Generoso and in the City of Mati. Three of these hospitals are primary hospitals and one is a secondary hospital. The tertiary hospital is located in the province’s capital, the City of Mati. All of the five government hospitals here are licensed by the Department of Health and has the accreditation of PhilHealth. The province has eleven Rural Health Units spread in its eleven towns.