By Raymart Escopel
AFTER the success of the “Manggahan sa Kabanwahanan,” considered the longest festival of Western Visayas running for more than a month, the province of Guimaras recently inaugurated the newly-constructed Annex Building of its provincial hospital.
Named Dr. Catalino Gallego Nava Provincial Hospital, the said four-storey health facility will bring government medical services closer to the people said Gov. Samuel Gumarin.
The construction of the hospital started in 2009 and was completed in 2013. Having a total budget of P83 million – P48 million from the Department of Health (DOH) and P35 million from the local government unit, the Annex Building houses 23 private rooms that can accommodate more than 30 beds.
Located on the first floor of the building is the presence of the operating room theater, while the fourth floor serves as a multifunction open air complex intended for various functions.
With the full operations of the hospital, the provincial government hopes to minimize referrals to hospitals in Iloilo City with its sustained 24/7 surgical capacity.
Meanwhile, its six old private rooms were converted into service wards to decongest the main hospital building from patients who are confined along the alleys and hallways.
The construction of the four-storey annex building was materialized through the DOH rationalization plan when the Department found out that the Bed Occupancy Rate of the hospital exceeded the DOH standards. The Bed to Population ratio of 1:1000 was not also met by the hospital, as well as the absence of a 24/7 surgical capacity.
The DOH, through the Province-wide Investment Plan for Health program for 2009-2013 with the support and cooperation of the Guimaras Provincial Government, programs, plans and activities were formulated and implemented to cater the needs of Guimarasnons.
The inauguration of the said hospital was held on May 22 in time with the celebration of the 22nd Foundation Day of Guimaras./PN
