THE transfer of the management and operation of the Benguet General Hospital (BeGH) to the Department of Health is being pushed in the Congress.

Benguet caretaker and ACT-CIS Party-list representative Eric Go Yap recently filed House Bill 6171 returning the management of the hospital to the national government and increase its bed capacity to 400 beds.

The lawmaker in his visit in Benguet on Thursday, February 20, explained BeGH needs to be supervised by national government to assure continuous fund and aid for the hospital and not to further rely on funds from the provincial local government unit (PLGU).

“Funds of PLGU intended for BeGH can be used to other projects,” Yap said. The legislator assured when BeGH will be turned over to the national government, the current staff of the hospital will be retained.

“Kapag naging national po to, mabibigyan tayo ng bagong equipment, ng mga bagong kama at tataas mga suweldo ng nurses natin,” Yap added. Dr. Meliarazon Dulay, acting chief of hospital, said BeGH is owned by the PLGU operating as local economic enterprise with an actual 150-200 bed capacity, PhilHealth accredited and a level II hospital by the health department. On the re-nationalization of the BeGH, she added they will support the provincial administration decision.

In 1971, the hospital operated with 25-50 bed capacity and on January 1993, the management of the hospital was devolved to the PLGU including the five district hospitals in the province.

To date, the hospital have 361 employees. In 2019, the hospital noted 31,566 patients accommodated, with an average of 87 patients a day, 109,838 outpatients and 2,810 surgical cases. Sources of financial assistance mainly comes from the Provincial Financial Assistance Fund worth P25 million.

She added gaps seen in the hospital entails 180 positions needed in the hospital and priority to improve infrastructure such as records section, expansion/ computerization of hospital records, surgical ICU, expansion of ICU of oxygen generator. Dulay added upgrading the services in the hospital, equipment, and personnel is needed to provide better services to the patients.

A public consultation on February 26 at the Benguet capitol will be tackled on the proposed transfer of the management BeGH to the national government.