BACOLOD City – There’s hope for individuals in this city and Negros Occidental with mental health problems.
The Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) has unveiled a P13-million Mental Health Unit.
The 12-bed unit is manned by 12 personnel to provide specialized psychiatric services.
It has an open psychiatric ward which is the first of its kind in Negros Occidental.
Just this June 20, President Rodrigo Duterte signed the landmark Mental Health Law, which would provide affordable and accessible mental health services for Filipinos
Dr. Julius Drilon, chief of hospital, said the facility was completed six months earlier and the Department of Health (DOH) inspected it three months ago for the issuance of a license to operate.
“This is an internally-funded project, from our own income,” he said.
Drilon said the Mental Health Unit is a short-stay facility and not a rehabilitation center.
“It encompasses a lot of disciplines. It is not just for depression, drug- related psychiatric attacks and emotional issues. It will also serve our co-workers,” he said.
The chief of hospital revealed they found out that “work-related violations involve family issues, which needs counseling.”
The opening of the Mental Health Unit on July 16 coincided with the formal inauguration of the hospital’s magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) complex.
Drilon said the MRI facility has been operating for a year and has served hundreds of patients who availed of its 35 percent lower service than those charged by private hospitals.
“It is one of the best in the country, (the MRI machine is) worth P85 million to P90 million,” he said.
The equipment is capable of doing diagnostic procedures such as MRI of the brain, musculoskeletal, and abdomen.
Drilon said the hospital spent at least P20 million to set up the area which houses the 1.5 Tesla MRI machine, adding that the construction was funded through the DOH appropriation for 2017.
Drilon said patients availing the services of both the mental health and MRI facilities can avail of coverage from the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PNA/PN)
