P235-M budget not enough for Baguio hospital

BAGUIO General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) chief of hospital Dr. Manuel Factora said the hospital will receive some P235-million budget in 2013, but he stressed this is not enough considering the hospital serves not just Baguio residents but patients from as far as Pangasinan and Ilocos.

Factora said they have to rely on donations from nongovernment organizations to cover other needs for equipment to give quality healthcare services to different departments of the hospital.

“Government facilities are not abundant with funds to provide everything a patient needs. That is why there is a need for public-private partnership to be able to spread out these services to all,” he said.

Among their foremost needs is a Cobalt Linear Accelerator which they will be acquiring next year.

“We want to prioritize equipment that would benefit the most patients at any given time,” he added.

He said the equipment will be for the use of cancer patients admitted and treated at the BGHMC that is in need of radiotherapy.

“At this point, most of our patients in need of this treatment have to travel to Dagupan City to avail of radiotherapy,” he said.

Representative Bernardo Vergara said he is willing to help BGHMC secure the funds needed by its patients through a recent request made to the Office of the President and the Department of Health.

He also added to have been constantly allocating a portion of his Priority Development Assistance Fund for indigent patients at BGHMC.

Moreover, he said the city government has likewise been helping the BGHMC in the management of its resources as it is stipulated in its Charter.

The BGHMC has recently been included in the list of government hospitals that are planned for corporatization in Congress through a legislation by Representative Anthony Golez in efforts to improve medical and health services to the people.

However, militant groups recently expressed opposition to this move claiming the corporatization plan for these hospitals would only hike up fees and make medical services less accessible to the poor.