LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank (WB) extended assistance to the Benguet General Hospital (BeGH) to help improve the present status of the hospital managed and operated by the provincial government that will translate to the enhanced delivery of health care services to clients.
The ADB recently provided the hospital with a state-of-the-art CT scan machine while the WB will provide some P9 million worth of medical equipment to help sustain ongoing developments in the hospital that will enhance the delivery of health care services to those seeking medical care from the said facility.
BeGH chief of hospital Dr. Meliarazon Dulay pointed out that the assistance extended by the two international financial institutions is a giant step forward in the continuing improvement of the delivery of health care services from the facility for better client satisfaction.
However, she claimed that there are still many aspects of the hospital that needs to be improved, especially on infrastructure and the provision of additional medical equipment, that will further improve medical services for patients and prevent the referrals of patients to Baguio-based hospitals.
According to her, the hospital continues to accept assistance from government agencies, local governments, and the private sector as a lot of improvements are needed to be introduced in the infrastructure and medical equipment to help provide quality health care services to the patients.
At present, BeGH is managed and operated by the provincial government after the same was devolved to the municipal government by virtue of the pertinent provisions of Republic Act (RA) 7160 or the Local Government Code of the Philippines.
Earlier, Benguet caretaker congressman and Anti-Crime and Terrorism through Community Involvement and Support (ACT-CIS) Party-list Rep. Eric Go Yap filed House Bill (HB) 6171 that seeks to re-nationalize the operation of BeGH to ease the burden of appropriation of local funds for the maintenance, operation and administration of the hospital.
The said bill was passed in the House of Representatives and is now awaiting the action of the Senate on the pending counterpart bill prior to its submission to the Office of the President for its enactment into law once President Rodrigo Duterte signs the same into law.
BeGH will be under the direct supervision and management of the health department once the same will be signed into law where its budgetary requirements shall be provided by the national government as part of the annual budget of the health department. By HENT
