Saturday, January 26, 2008 Councilman asks support for Baguio hospital By Ernie N. Olson Jr.
BAGUIO Councilor Erdolfo Balajadia has proposed a resolution requesting the congressmen of Cordillera, Ilocos and Cagayan Valley Region to allocate money from their Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to support the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC).
He explained that since the BGHMC has been servicing residents of Baguio and neighboring provinces in the Cordillera, Ilocos and Cagayan regions for many years, despite having their own hospitals and clinics, the hospital still needs funding support in order to purchase adequate facilities and accommodate more patients. He stressed the equipment will come in handy especially when it comes to severe illnesses.
"The Baguio General Hospital has a complete line of doctors and is equipped with all the facilities needed for all types of patients. However, patients coming from these neighboring provinces come here for treatment of more specific diseases like cancer," Balajadia explained.
The BGHMC is poorly equipped to handle this ailment.
As most patients of the BGHMC are indigents or have no capacity to pay, Balajadia pointed out that they are given free medicines and are not required to pay fees. But with the increasing number of patients visiting the hospital, its budget cannot suffice for its function.
Balajadia said upon approval of the proposed resolution, copies will be forwarded to the concerned congressmen for inclusion in their respective PDAFs.
Copies of the proposal were also forwarded to the office of City Council acting secretary Prudencio Parnacio Jr. for inclusion in the agenda.
