Sen. Drilon's brother is new CLMMRH chief

Thursday, July 14, 2011

SENATOR Franklin Drilon's brother, Dr. Julius Drilon, is now the chief of hospital of Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) in Bacolod City.

Dr. Drilon has been serving the hospital for 48 days since his appointment by Health Secretary Enrique T. Ona on June 1, 2011.

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He paid a courtesy visit to Bacolod City Mayor Evelio R. Leonardia on Wednesday at the Government Center and discussed matters on how they can better coordinate and help each other address some of the pressing concerns of the regional hospital.

Dr. Drilon said that he was grateful of the opportunity to serve his fellow Ilonggos. He said it never went in his wildest dream that he will be assigned in the Bacolod City.

But he said he never had doubts in accepting the appointment and came to Bacolod City with much enthusiasm to serve the people of Bacolod and Negros Occidental.

He knows the present state of the regional hospital, which is congested with patients, under man and lacks the necessary equipments and facilities to address the present daily demands of patients.

He said he takes all these major challenges seriously because health is part of the agenda of President Benigno Aquino III.

The regional hospital is the biggest DOH-run regional center outside of Metro Manila with the whole Negros Occidental province as its catchment area.

Dr. Drilon currently works in reforming the organization of the regional hospital. He has immersed himself at the hospital by living within the compound so that he can feel the problem and know and day to day dynamic process of patient care.

He promised that in 3 ½ years, the city and province will experience a different CLMMRH since he has specific instructions from Secretary Ona, who is from Sagay City, that this regional center will be the model in the entire country.

"I will finish this job and I am putting my heart and soul at Corazon Locsin. I was dislocated in Manila. I am away from my family and I have to contend by eating pandesal with coffee in the morning. But I am happy doing this. I enjoyed doing this because I am serving my fellow Ilonggos,” he said.

He reported to the mayor that the Heart, Kidney and Lung Center is being constructed. It is a six-storey multi-function building. The next three storey will be renovated and it will house the new emergency room, private ward and laboratory.

The grants that were given to five centers all over the country, which runs to billions of pesos, Corazon Locsin got almost P500 million. It also got the P250 million for the construction of the HLK building.

Ninety percent of the hospital occupants are from Bacolod City. It only has 400-bed capacity but its admission rate goes as high as 138 percent.

"Imagine the tremendous pressure on resources and staffing requirements. Some patients are already occupying the roof of the regional hospital. We cannot deny patients. But I am thankful that Mayor Leonardia is fully supporting the regional hospital," Dr. Drilon said.

Bacolod City pays 55 nurses running the hospital operation, while the facility was given P55 million by the past leadership.

Dr. Drilon proposed to the mayor to strengthen the City Health and Health Centers so that the regional hospital would be decongested.

The Corazon Locsin is a tertiary hospital, which is supposed to concentrate on specialized care. However, in the present set up even minor cases, which can be catered by health centers and provincial hospital, are being brought to the regional facility.

Leonardia said the hospital's lying-in clinic caters to 922 deliveries in a year.