RENOVATION of J.R. Borja Memorial Hospital (JBMH) is in the works as Cagayan de Oro Mayor Oscar Moreno vowed to support the planned of putting the city-run hospital under the national government to fortify its services that are beneficial to the people not only in the city but also in the region.
Moreno said the City Government will have a collaborative arrangement with the officers of the Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC) as both will handle the total rehabilitation, technical and personnel support and service reinforcement of JBMH.
In his visit to the mayor’s office Monday, Dr. Ramon Moreno, NMMC’s assistant chief of hospital expressed his support to the hospital’s rehabilitation by extending their technical assistance.
Dr. Moreno also met with other stakeholders at the City Hall to map out the planned rehabilitation.
rNationalization
Moreno said that with the nationalization of the said hospital, the City Government’s budget allocation for it will then be used in building more hospitals in other parts of the city.
“We will then be constructing more hospitals, one in Barangay Lumbia and other strategic areas in the city,” he said.
He said with the help of House representatives Rufus Rodriguez and Rolando Uy of Cagayan de Oro’s second and first districts, respectively, the city government can also focus on building more medical facilities.
“Help is now extended to J.R. Borja Hospital so that we can also serve the city more,” Moreno added.
Meanwhile, Rodriguez vowed to pursue the refiling of his five priority bills, one of which is the modernization of the city hospital and making it a satellite hospital of NMMC, when the 16th Congress opens next week.
Earlier this year, hundreds of brand new hospital beds donated by Korean donors, intended for JBMH, were diverted to Vietnam after the donors felt that their previous donations appeared to have been “neglected” by the City Government.
The Koreans also found that the CT scan machine they also donated is still non-operational because the city hall did not purchase a printer needed to run it.
The CT scan machine was donated in 2010 by a Korean Hospital but has not been used due to the absence of a printer.
Councilor Dante Pajo, chair of the committee on health and sanitation, earlier said that the purchase of the printer is already on the pre-bidding stage.
Pajo clarified that the CT scan was not neglected; in fact, it was already installed at the new building of the JBMH.
“Hopefully, within the year, the bidding will commence and the printer will then be delivered,” Pajo said.
When asked about the state of the CT Scan, Pajo admitted that some parts of it are already defective and should be replaced after it has been stored and unused for a long time.