Senator Bong goes all-out to build, upgrade hospitals

During the Senate plenary on Tuesday, 6 August, Senator Christopher "Bong" Go sponsored several house bills that would establish or upgrade hospitals across the Philippines.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has made us more cognizant of the need to capacitate and improve our government health facilities. We saw the need to invest more to our healthcare system. Mr. President, dapat laging handa ang ating mga pampublikong ospital na magserbisyo sa mga pasyente,” said Go in his omnibus sponsorship speech.

Go detailed the shortcomings of present hospital infrastructure that his bills would seek to address, including severely overcrowded facilities and the lack of crucial equipment in many medical facilities.

"Dapat laging handa ang ating mga pampublikong ospital na magserbisyo sa mga pasyente," Go asserted. "Minsan isang kama, dalawang pasyente ang nagtatabi. Paano gagaling ang pasyente kung ganon ang kanilang kinatatayuan?"

The bills he sponsored at the plenary include:

• House Bill 8483: Creation of the Northern Tagalog Regional Hospital in Rizal as a Level 2 facility under the Department of Health (DOH) supervision, addressing a gap of 1,671 Level 2 hospital beds in Rizal.

• House Bill 8214: Establishment of a new hospital in Lucena City under DOH control, aimed at improving the bed-to-population ratio in Quezon, currently at 1 to 1,462, far beyond the ideal 1 to 1,000 ratio.

• House Bill 9623: Proposal for the Laguna Regional Hospital, also under DOH, to address a significant gap of 10,337 Level 3 hospital beds in Laguna.

• House Bill 9624: Creation of the Senator Edgardo J. Angara General Hospital in Nueva Ecija under DOH to address a shortfall of 5,349 Level 3 hospital beds.

• House Bill 9335: Upgrades Basilan General Hospital into a Tertiary Hospital, to be renamed Basilan Medical Center, with a current average bed occupancy rate of 184%.

• House Bill 8426: Upgrades the Bataan General Hospital and Medical Center to a Multi-Specialty Hospital, where the average bed occupancy rate is 100%.

• House Bill 9656: Renaming of the Mindanao Central Sanitarium to Zamboanga Regional Medical Center, reflecting its expanded role in healthcare beyond leprosy services

• House Bill 8970: Increase in bed capacity at Cong. Simeon G. Toribio Memorial Hospital in Bohol from 40 to 75 beds, addressing a local gap of 2,790 Level 1 hospital beds.

• House Bill 8494: Expansion of the Teodoro B. Galagar District Hospital in Bohol from 75 to 100 beds.

• House Bill 8491: Conversion of the Dr. Catalino Gallego Nava Provincial Hospital in Guimaras into a Level II Hospital, currently with an average bed occupancy rate of 185%.

• House Bill 8484: Upgrade of the Bangui District Hospital in Ilocos Norte to a Level II District Hospital, where the average bed occupancy rate is 126%.

• House Bill 8492: Establishment of the Victorias City General Hospital in Negros Occidental under local government unit control, addressing a gap for Level 2 hospital beds of 1,322.

• House Bill 9556: Amends Republic Act 11272 to change the location of a planned hospital in the City of San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan.

Go highlighted the critical need for these upgrades and new facilities to enhance the capacity and services of public hospitals nationwide. He called upon his fellow lawmakers to prioritize public health alongside him.

"It is our duty as legislators to enact measures that would help address the lack of appropriate facilities and equipment in our government hospitals most especially in these crucial times," Go concluded.