THE provincial government of Negros Occidental turned over the management of two district hospitals to local government units where it is located.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan approved the deeds of usufruct for the Calatrava District Hospital to the Calatrava municipal government and the Vicente Gustilo District Hospital to the Escalante City government.
A deed of usufruct enumerates the duties and obligations of both parties.
All the two hospitals are located in the province's first district.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said the idea is for these LGUs to manage their respective hospitals with subsidies from the province.
"This is the same thing that is being done in Sagay City and in Cauayan," Lacson said.
The governor said as far as the status of the provincial government employees assigned at the two hospitals is concerned, it will be the call of the LGUs if they will be absorbed.
"It is important that these LGUs are willing to manage their respective hospitals This will lower our operation cost," Lacson said.
Board Member Araceli Somosa, chair of the Committee on Health, said the turnover of the hospitals also aims to help the provincial government comply with the limitation set by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on the Personal Services to just 45 percent.
The DBM issued adverse findings on previous budgets of the provincial government in the past five years because it went beyond the DBM cap.