ILOILO – A poor patient will still be able to avail himself of district hospital services even if he has no ability to pay the bill, said Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr.
Provincial government-run hospitals are “for the poor”, stressed Defensor at the inauguration of the temporary hospital building of Don Valerio Palmares Sr. Memorial District Hospital (DVPSMDH) on Alfelor Street, Passi City on April 3.
“I made this clear to all chiefs of hospitals,” said the governor.
The provincial government oversees the operation of 12 district hospitals. The DVPSMDH is one of them. Its 25-bed capacity temporary hospital building worth P9.3 million will be used while its P31-million new hospital building is still under construction.
The new hospital building that will house the medical wards and Emergency Room broke ground also on Wednesday. It is expected to be completed in 2020.
A “greatest leap” was how DVPSMDH chief Dr. Robert Gerard Yusay described the construction of the new hospital building.
“We want to improve our services,” he said.
Also present at the inauguration were the heirs of Don Valerio Palmares Sr. who donated the hospital lot.
Mary Jean Palmares-Henson, eldest granddaughter of Palmares, said they were grateful that the hospital had been named in honor of their grandfather.
The construction of both the temporary facility and the two-storey new hospital building is funded under the Hospital Efficiency Assurance through Reform and Transformation (Heart) program of the provincial government.
Capitol already spent over P2 billion in the rehabilitation and upgrading of the following district hospitals:
* Aleosan District Hospital in Alimodian town
* Barotac Viejo District Hospital in Barotac Viejo
* Dr. Ricardo S. Provido Memorial District Hospital in Calinog
* Dr. Ricardo Y. Ladrido Memorial District Hospital in Lambunao
* Ramon D. Duremdes District Hospital in Dumangas
* Federico Roman Tirador Sr. Memorial District Hospital in Janiuay
* Iloilo Provincial Hospital in Pototan
* Jesus M. Colmenares Memorial District Hospital in Balasan
* Ramon Tabiana Memorial District Hospital in Cabatuan
* Rep. Pedro G. Trono Memorial District Hospital
* Sara District Hospital in Sara
The provincial government also hired an additional 1,600 hospital personnel. (With a report from the Philippine News Agency/PN)
