By Cindy Ferrer/PNA
ILOILO CITY — The province of Iloilo is preparing for the complete takeover of the operations of the Mother and Child Hospital in San Joaquin, to become its 13th district hospital.
Provincial Administrator Raul Banias reported that the provincial board’s appropriations committee, headed by board member Nielo Tupas, has already approved the proposed PHP43-million budget for the hospital last November 8.
“That is a complete take-over of all the operations of the hospital,” Banias said in an interview on Thursday.
The budget intended for the hospital is part of the province’s PHP3.7-billion proposed budget for 2019, which is currently undergoing a series of deliberations.
Banias said PHP26 million of the PHP43 million budget is for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) of the hospital while the remaining PHP17 million is for the salary of 32 personnel.
“We hope that it will be approved in the plenary next week so that by January next year, the San Joaquin Mother and Child Hospital could already operate as one of the district hospitals of the province,” he said.
Banias said they are also working on legal concerns with regards to the absorption of the hospital because all the properties, both building and lot, should be transferred as property of the provincial government for it to be legitimized.
He said they have already discussed the concerns with legal officers and officials of San Joaquin town for the requirements.
Once settled, the hospital will initially operate as an infirmary or as a hospital with only a 10-bed capacity, he added.
“We opted for an infirmary license because if we will directly make it a 25-bed capacity hospital, the provincial government would find it hard to shoulder the required budget of around PHP70 (million) to PHP80 million,” he said.
Banias assured that the hospital will eventually be upgraded.
The move to absorb the Mother and Child Hospital was in response to the request of San Joaquin Mayor Ninfa Garin because her town is having difficulty sustaining its operation due to lack of funds.
While waiting for the hospital to be fully operated by the province, Banias said a PHP6 million subsidy was turned over to the hospital Thursday as MOOE to be used for the purchase of medicines, supplies and other needs.
