TACLOBAN CITY — The Eastern Samar provincial government has earmarked P500 million for the rehabilitation of the Eastern Samar Provincial Hospital (ESPH), marking its first major upgrade since it was established 74 years ago.

Governor Ralph Vincent Evardone announced the funding commitment during the inauguration of the College of Medicine of the Eastern Samar State University (ESSU) on Thursday.

Evardone said the investment will modernize the hospital’s facilities while providing a better learning environment for ESSU’s future medical students through enhanced hands-on clinical training.

ESSU will welcome its first batch of 40 medical students this year, with 10 receiving full scholarships from the provincial government. The Commission on Higher Education earlier approved the university’s College of Medicine program.

Established in May 1952 as the Borongan Emergency Hospital, the ESPH has served as Eastern Samar’s primary referral hospital for decades. Despite gradual improvements in clinical services and infrastructure over the years, it has never undergone a comprehensive modernization.

Last year, House Minority Leader and 4Ps Partylist Rep. Marcelino Libanan filed House Bill No. 119, seeking to convert the ESPH into a tertiary hospital and regional medical training center. The measure also proposes increasing the hospital’s bed capacity to 300.

In the bill, Libanan noted that while Eastern Samar’s population has steadily grown, the combined bed capacity of its 20 hospitals — 10 government-run and 10 privately owned — stands at only 418, far below the Department of Health’s recommended ratio of one hospital bed for every 1,000 people.

Because of the hospital’s limited capacity, many patients have to be referred to the Eastern Visayas Medical Center in Tacloban City, about 190 kilometers away.

“This logistical distance adds to the burden on patients and their families by increasing medical expenses and the stress associated with long-distance travel,” Libanan said in the bill.