CAGAYAN de Oro City Second District Representative Rufus Rodriguez is pushing to double the bed capacity of the state-run Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC) to 1,200 from the current 600.
Rodriguez filed last week House Bill No. 421, or an Act Increasing the Bed Capacity of NMMC in Cagayan de Oro City, which was also approved unanimously by the House committee on health.
The Kagay-anon lawmaker said the current 600-bed capacity is not enough to cater to around 900 patients who seek treatment at the NMMC.
Rodriguez said once enacted into law, the bill will also double the budget of NMMC to hire more doctors, nurses, midwives, and purchase more medical equipment and infrastructure facilities.
According to NMMC's website, the hospital started only as a wood and nipa structure in Carmen some 98 years ago. In 1919, this small hospital was named Misamis Public Hospital and it continued to function as a hospital in various health epidemics like smallpox and cholera.
In 1932, a new building was constructed near the Provincial Capitol. This was a wooden structure with a 25-bed capacity and was later transformed into a 50-bed capacity.
In 1945, Misamis Public Hospital was renamed Misamis Oriental Provincial Hospital with Dr. Jose Zamora as the first chief of hospital. In 1956, additional buildings were constructed which increased the bed capacity to 75.
In 1966, by virtue of Republic Act 4662 which was signed and took effect on June 18, 1966 , the Misamis Oriental Provincial Hospital was converted to Northern Mindanao Regional Training Hospital (NMRTH) and bed capacity increased again to 200 beds.
Meanwhile, Republic Act 7938 reclassified NMRTH as a medical center on March 11, 1995. It was only in 2015 when Republic Act No. 10677 was passed increasing its bed capacity from 300 to 600.