ILOILO – Western Visayas Sanitarium (WVS), a Level 1 hospital in Barangay Inangayan, Santa Barbara town, may be upgraded to a Level 2 medical institution.
Its current bed capacity – 75 – could be expanded to 300 (including the dedicated beds for leprosy) if House Bill 8893 introduced by 2nd District’s Cong. Michael Gorriceta hurdles the Senate.
The bill, already approved in the House of Representatives, proposes the conversion of WVS to a general hospital to be known as The Western Visayas Sanitarium and General Hospital.
Talks are ongoing for Sen. Christopher Lawrence Go, chairman of the Committee on Health, to co-sponsor the bill in the Senate.
Gorriceta hopes the bill would be approved in the Senate by 2022.
Why upgrade?
According to Gorriceta, it would mean more people would be able to avail themselves of health services from the hospital.
WVS is a referral hospital for patients not just from the 2nd District but also from other municipalities in the province but its services are currently limited to minor surgeries and checkup.
“Kon mag-Level 2 hospital mandatory nga may yara kita care like surgery, Obgyne (OB), pedia, kag butangan gid sang specialists,” said Gorriceta.
Patients from the province need not go to the Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) in Mandurriao, Iloilo City anymore, he said.
“Ma-decongest man naton ang WVMC,” stressed Gorriceta.
He also said an upgrade would mean more personnel. Of WVS’ 400 personnel, only 150 are regular workers, he pointed out.
On July 1, Gorriceta and wife Dr. Kathryn Joyce Gorriceta discussed with Department of Health (DOH) undersecretary Leopoldo Vega, Assistant Secretary Romeo Ong, Director Ariel Valencia, DOH Region 6 Director Adriano Suba-an and former WVMC chief, Jose Mari Fermin his bill.
“Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega recognized the urgency of this upgrade and committed technical assistance,” said Gorriceta.
The officials were in Iloilo to deliver medical equipment and other supplies./PN
