ILOILO City – President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law House Bill 00909 authored by Rep. Julienne “Jam-jam” Baronda increasing by 275 the number of beds at the Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) from 425 to 700.
Officially known as Republic Act (RA) 11496, the measure also includes the improvement of hospital facilities and the hiring of additional personnel.
“The additional bed-capacity and corresponding improvement of other facilities, and the increase in personnel is a long-held dream of the regional medical community. RA 11496 brings this dream firmly into the realm of certainty. It is the realization of our core advocacy to improve the health sector facilities and services in Iloilo City,” Baronda told Panay News.
She expressed gratitude to Sen. Christopher Lawrence Go, the Senate health committee chair, for championing the passage of RA 11496 in the upper chamber of Congress. She also thanked the House Committee on Health chair Rep. Angelina Tan for pushing its approval in the lower chamber, to former House Speaker Alan Cayetano for the full support, and all her colleagues in the House including now-Speaker Lord Allan Velasco for voting for its passage.
“We, Ilonggos, should also be thankful to President Duterte for turning our dream into reality. Finally, after 25 long years, WVMC will be made bigger and way better. It is good that the President shares the same passion when it comes to health that is why their hospital in Davao City can be compared to the best private hospitals in Metro Manila. I want that to happen to WVMC, too,” said Baronda.
WVMC is congested, with its hallways often transformed into makeshift wards for patients. The Department of Health (DOH) revealed that from 2017 to 2018, WVMC recorded an average bed occupancy rate of 136.30 percent, which exceeds the national standard of 85 percent bed capacity.
“It pains me to see patients already suffering from whatever health issues they have, further suffering from having to contend with the lack of decent and comfortable beds. They have to bring in their own folding beds just to have something to lay down on. We will ensure the full implementation of RA 11496 so that this sorry state will be a thing of the past,” said Baronda.
Dr. Marilyn Convocar, chief of DOH Western Visayas – Center for Health Development, said the passage of the law “will pave the way for the improvement of healthcare services not only in Iloilo but also the rest of Western Visayas.”
She credits “the valuable support” Baronda who, in July 2019, filed House Bill No. 0909 seeking to increase the bed capacity of WVMC. A bill for the same purpose was filed by then congressman Jerry Treñas in the 17th Congress.
Dr. Joseph Dean Nicolo, WVMC medical center chief, said they are “thankful and indebted to the people and support organizations who are one with us in this endeavor. Your untiring efforts and assistance inspire us to perform better and dedicate ourselves in the name of public service.”
The DOH Western Visayas CHD said this new law is aligned with the vision of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law which requires the establishment of province-wide health systems.
WVMC will serve as the apex hospital for Health Care Provider Networks in Western Visayas and is envisioned to be specializing in heart-lung, nephrology, neurology, oncology, and geriatrics.
Baronda, meanwhile, added, “Amid the grim challenges of a pandemic and the natural disasters that currently beset our land, this piece of welcome news also brings us closer to our avowed goal of improving the lives of the Ilonggos through responsive, accessible and quality hospital care.”
Healthcare forms part of Baronda’s “HOPE” platform which stands for “health, obra, peace and order, and education.”
In addition to RA 11496, which has to be implemented within two years from the date of its effectivity, Baronda has filed several bills that seek a more inclusive healthcare system./PN
