Friday, November 23, 2007 P30M needed to operate hospitals
LAPU-LAPU City Mayor Arturo Radaze has to prepare some P30 million next year in order to operate the two district hospitals in his city.
This after the Cebu Provincial Government decided that it should no longer be spending for the operation of Lapu-Lapu City District Hospital and Sta. Rosa District Hospital.
The Province will also let the Lapu-Lapu City Government pay for the buildings and medical equipment of the two hospitals assessed at more than P22 million, based on the schedule of values approved by the finance department.
Lapu-Lapu District Hospital sits on a government lot owned by the City Government while Sta. Rosa Hospital is on a lot being claimed by two private individuals.
Mayor Arturo Radaza dispelled worries of Oponganons when the Provincial Government stops its annual subsidy for the operation of the city’s two district hospitals.
“We have nothing to worry about because the City has funds for the hospitals’ operations,” Radaza told the crowd that filled the gym beside the national shrine of Nuestra Señora Virgen de la Regla during the coronation night of the city’s prince and princess.
Blame
In a separate interview, Vice Mayor Mario Amores said they cannot blame the governor for her decision.
“It is not integration, klaro kaayo nga ang Lapu-Lapu maoy iyang target and we can’t blame her for that because by virtue of being a highly urbanized city, we are no longer under the Province’s administrative supervision. So what is the logic for the governor to continue helping us,” Amores said.
Millions
The Province appropriated P22.4 million for Lapu-Lapu District Hospital in 2006 and P24.09 million in 2007.
For Sta. Rosa, Capitol has a budget of P4.5 million in 2006, P4.9 million in 2007.
For next year, Capitol has a budget of P24.22 million for the Lapu-Lapu District Hospital and P5 million for Sta. Rosa.
But these funds will be scrapped from Capitol’s 2008 annual appropriation now that Governor Garcia has decided to stop spending for the two hospitals.
Garcia met with representatives from the Lapu-Lapu City Government yesterday and told them about her plan.
Lapu-Lapu has been declared a highly-urbanized city and is already outside the jurisdiction of the Province.
“Under the law, we should not continue spending for these hospitals,” she told the Lapu-Lapu representatives during the meeting.
She also asked them if they intend to absorb the hospital employees when they take over the operation because if not, then the Province has to redistribute them to other district hospitals under it.
Lapu-Lapu District has 59 regular employees while Sta. Rosa has a total of 15 regular personnel.
Lapu-Lapu City Administrator Teodulo Ybañez said that the “most prudent thing to do” is to absorb the employees.
A representative of the employees also attended the meeting and said they are amendable to any decision the two local government units will arrive at.
There was no final agreement reached yesterday but they agreed to meet again next week.
They have to come up with the final agreement before next year.
Also to be discussed next week will be the mode of payment for the buildings and medical equipment of the two hospitals.
Lapu-Lapu City District is a 75-bed secondary hospital that caters to Lapu-Lapu City and Cordova and Consolacion towns.
Sta. Rosa is a 10-bed primary hospital serving the entire Olango Island, which has 11 barangays. (MBG/AIV)
