BACOLOD City Lone District Rep. Greg Gasataya said Tuesday, March 26, that he expects the Senate to adopt his House Bill (HB) 8835 that seeks to increase the bed capacity of the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH).

Gasataya said he already talked with Sen. JV Ejercito, who supports the measure and gave assurance that he will adopt the bill in the Senate.

“According to him (Ejercito), he will adopt the bill and that it will be deliberated on in May,” said Gasataya.

He added that he is thankful that no less than the Senate committee on health, through Ejercito, announced the Senate adoption of the bill.

In January, the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading, HB 8835, authored by Gasataya, that seeks to increase the bed capacity of the CLMMRH to 1,000 from the current 400.

The CLMMRH is a tertiary teaching-training hospital located on Lacson-Burgos Streets in Bacolod City.

The 10 departments are accredited by their respective societies such as general surgery, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, anesthesiology, otolaryngology-head and neck surgery, orthopedics and traumatology, ophthalmology, laboratory, diagnostic imaging and radiologic sciences.

“It serves as the sole referral and premiere tertiary government hospital that offers specialized medical care in Bacolod City, the entire province of Negros Occidental and neighboring provinces within the Western Visayas region,” Gasataya said.

Founded on March 24, 1926 with an initial 25 beds, the CLMMRH gradually increased its capacity until January 21, 1981, when the last law increasing its bed capacity to 400, the Batas Pambansa Bilang 118, was enacted.

“Let’s wait for the approval of the bill and the signature of President Rodrigo Duterte,”Gasataya said.

He said that the increase of bed capacity of the CLMRRH is a big help to the people of Bacolod City and Negros Occidental. (MAP)