Del Mar to allocate P17M for repair of Guba hospital
REP. Rachel “Cutie” del Mar (Cebu City, north district) will allocate P17 million for the rehabilitation of a community hospital in Barangay Guba, which is reportedly in
disrepair.
The hospital also lacks doctors.
Two of three doctors in the hospital have resigned, leaving the institution, which is catering to residents of 18 mountain barangays in the city, with only one doctor.
With this, Councilor Alvin Arcilla wants the hospital to be independent from any City Hall department so it will have its own personnel, management team as well as a budget allocation.
Guba Community Hospital is under the management of the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC).
In a phone interview with Sun.Star Cebu, CCMC Chief Dr. Myrna Go said del Mar pledged to set aside P17 million for the rehabilitation of the hospital in Guba.
She also said the doctors at Guba Community Hospital have resigned due to its location.
“Layoan ra sila (They find it too far),” she said.
Go said she has been looking for replacements.
Budget
In the meantime, Go is sending there some doctors from CCMC so as not to hamper the delivery of services.
During the council’s regular session last Friday, Arcilla raised his concern on the budget of Guba Community Hospital after learning that CCMC has no budget allocation for medicines for the community hospital.
“Ang budget sa CCMC more or less kutob ra sa CCMC. So ang mahitabo, wa nay budget and Guba (CCMC uses up its own budget. Guba won’t get anything anymore),” said Arcilla.
Go confirmed this, saying Guba’s hospital only receives an allocation for the salary of the hospital personnel.
If Guba’s hospital will become a separate department, Arcilla said the City Government may appropriate funds for it.
Also, Arcilla said there is a need to rehabilitate the facilty so patients from mountain barangays will no longer go to the health centers in Barangay Talamban or to CCMC.
“If the hospital in Guba will serve the people, there will be less congestion at CCMC,” he said.
He said mountain barangay residents also pay P160 as fare in going to the city proper and back to their homes.
“So, it is an additional financial burden for them,” the councilor added.
Arcilla’s proposal is yet to be discussed and studied by the City Council.