LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Benguet Caretaker Congressman and Anti-Crime and Terrorism through Community Involvement and Support (ACT-CIS) Party-list Rep. Eric Yap continues to go out of his way to source out the additional units of medical equipment to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of quality health care services of the Benguet General Hospital (BeGH) to its increasing clients.
Yap, who chairs the powerful House Committee on Appropriations, recently turned over to BeGH officials another high flow oxygen machine to increase to three the available machines because of the increasing demand for these by patients confined in the hospital currently administered and managed by the provincial government.
Last year, the lawmaker personally donated to the hospital its first high flow oxygen machine which was extensively used by Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients and just last month, he again donated to the hospital the same machine to add up to its lacking equipment.
Congressman Yap pointed out that he opted to source out the needed resources to immediately procure the required medical equipment for the hospital because it will take much time if the request will be coursed through concerned government agencies because of the existing bureaucratic processes mandated under existing laws, rules and regulations.
He emphasized that the hospital urgently needs the additional medical equipment because of the increasing demand for the same as a result of the surge in the number of COVID cases being confined and it is faster to privately source out the appropriate resources to purchase the same immediately.
On the proposed re-nationalization of the hospital, Congressman Yap stated that the counterpart bill pending before the Senate was already approved in the committee level and was submitted by Senator Christopher Lawrence ‘Bong’ Go, chairman of the Senate committee on health and demography, for approval on second reading.
The Benguet caretaker congressman disclosed he was assured by Senator Go that the re-nationalization of the government hospital will be realized the soonest to help free the provincial government from its annual appropriations for the administration and maintenance of the hospital as the national government will provide for its funding requirements once nationalized.
The proposed re-nationalization of BeGH was earlier initiated by the late Rep. Nestor Fongwan, Sr. and was pursued by Congressman Yap when he was appointed as the province’s legislative caretaker because he saw the need to return to the national government the administration and maintenance of the health facility.
By HENT
Photo by Armando M. Bolislis
