Tuesday, November 20, 2007 Capitol to integrate some district hospitals
MAINTAINING district hospitals has become financially inefficient and a public relations problem for the Cebu Provincial Government.
This is why Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia decided to integrate some district hospitals.
Garcia told reporters yesterday that the Provincial Government is spending P200 million for the 18 district hospitals in Cebu but the income that the hospitals generate does not account for much.
“It is impractical for us. First, it’s very financially inefficient. We are spending too much and getting back too little. Second, it’s a major PR problem kay kami man ang awayon,” Garcia told reporters yesterday.
She said that when patients go to the district hospitals, they expect services ranging from a simple injection to a brain transplant, which is not the case especially with 10 to 60-bed district hospitals.
Limitations
Integrated Provincial Health Office Chief Cristina Giango said that a 10-bed hospital is limited to primary services like clinical care, nursing care.
It caters to prevalent cases in the community like pneumonia, cough and colds. There are eight primary care hospitals in the province. Each has a chief of hospital, two doctors, a nurse and a nursing aide.
Secondary hospitals include caesarian cases and appendicitis operation. Complications of these will constitute tertiary care, which is not available in any district hospital.
Garcia said this is why there are several referrals to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center.
District hospitals that are in close proximity with each other will be integrated. Higher-capacity hospitals will absorb the lower-capacity hospital.
Garcia, in a meeting with department heads yesterday, identified three to five district hospitals that will be consolidated to the nearest hospital.
Privatization
The governor refused to identify them in public though as they might resort to panic. She did assure that employees would be absorbed.
The long-term goal of the Province is privatization.
“Let private firms take over because they have the technical expertise and the experience,” Garcia said.
The plan, which the Province will implement in the first quarter of 2008, will save the government maintenance and other operating expenses and capital outlay.
“I believe that we can serve them (constituents) better in other ways and this P200 million can be spent better and more effectively in other ways,” Garcia said.
“We have, for so long, led ourselves in believing that it is precisely in running hospitals that we are addressing the health needs of our constituents,” she continued.
“It’s a mistake to think that way because I would presume that if we talk about health, we talk about ensuring their good health and not repairing the consequences of ill health,” Garcia said.
Instead, the Province will spend on health insurance and encourage local government units to improve the services and facilities of their birthing centers or health centers.
The Province has since covered close to 100,000 families in Philippine Health insurance policies. There are 200,000 identified indigent families for the program.
Capitol will also cater to “preventive intervention,” which the governor explained are programs that will prevent the people to end up in the hospital. These programs are supplemental feeding and health programs for hunger management.
Lapu hospitals
Starting next year, the province will also let go of two district hospitals under Lapu-Lapu City-the Lapu-Lapu District Hospital and Sta. Rosa District Hospital in Olango Island.
“(Lapu-Lapu) is already highly urbanized. They already said that we should not interfere, so we will not interfere,” Garcia said.
Giango said the Province will save P30 million from the Lapu-Lapu District Hospital and P5 million from the Sta. Rosa District Hospital.
“With P35 million savings, how many roads, water system is that?” said Garcia. (JGA)
