Iloilo not keen for new hospital

ILOILO CITY
July 31, 2017

Banias (right): we are not prepared for a new district
hospital
Iloilo Province is no longer in position to establish a new district hospital because of budgetary restraint and more so, because the national health insurance provider PhilHealth has changed the “definition of indigents”.

That’s the response of Raul Banias, MD, provincial administrator and concurrently, acting head of the Hospital Management Service (HOMS).

PhilHealth shouldered a big chunk of patient expenses in the past two years under its scheme “point of care” where indigent patients are enrolled automatically upon admission. Last year, Iloilo prepaid PhilHealth over P100 M for the automatic coverage. “PhilHealth’s new definition of ‘indigent’ excluded more than half of our poor constituents,” Banias heaved.

“For 2016, the Province operated on a P2.3 B budget, P900 M of that was allotted to our hospitals,” Banias said at the public hearing here convened by SP Bryant Paul Biron, chair of the committee on health and sanitation.
Health and sanitation chair Biron

Biron called the public hearing in response to the proposal of Vice Gov. Christine Garin and SP Marcelo Valentine Serag endorsing the communique of San Joaquin Mayor Ninfa Garin to convert the town’s Mother and Child Hospital, from 10-bed into 25-bed “general district hospital”.

Banias called the proposal “needed by our constituents”.Reality though restrained the provincial government. The province priority for the immediate years is to upgrade existing health facilities and the tenure of its employees, he added.

Iloilo Province runs 11 district hospitals and one provincial hospital. Half of its workforce of 2,000 plus are assigned in these hospitals. More than half o f health workers are contractuals and “job hires”, the latter referring to those hired per project. Contractuals and job hires receive minimum wage but they don’t enjoy benefits that regular employees do like 13th month pays and other bonuses.

The province wants to regularize contractuals and promote job hires to contractuals, Banias explained.

Leo Santana, municipal administrator of San Joaquin, noted that the 10-bed Mother and Child hospital is badly needed by the Ist district of Iloilo. The first district comprises the towns of San Joaquin, Miagao, Igbaras, Tubungan, Guimbal, Tigbauan and Oton. Its constituents of 359,551 people are served by the Rep. Pedro Trono Memorial District Hospital, a 50-bed capacity, in Guimbal.

The WHO and DOH set the ideal hospital bed to population ratio at 1:1,000. The current equation is one bed per 7,191 people.
San Joaquin town administrator Santana (C)

The Mother and Child Hospital, begun in 2007, operates on counterparting of the DOH-run Western Visayas Medical Center which deploys doctors, nurses, midwives and technicians, and subsidies from San Joaquin and the provincial government.

Banias said that the province “as of this time” can only increase its subsidy. To turn it into a district general hospital with 25-beds entails a plantilla of 129 people -- doctors, other medical workers, drivers, janitors and security guards working on three shifts.

A power-point presentation by municipal administrator Leo Santana showed the first four-story building about to be completed. A second building, about the same size, will follow. The DOH have also provided funds for medical equipment needed for its upgrading.

Banias appears helpless. Establishing a plantilla of 129 medical personnel already entails P56M for salaries and wages. For operation and maintenance, it needs P35 M more. “And that’s only conservative estimate,” he noted. He was referring to Iloilo’s four district hospitals, accredited 25-bed facilities but have patients hitting past 150 - 200 daily.

Iloilo Province (pop. 1.7 M) has five districts. The first and 2nd districts have one province-run hospital each, the 3rd has five, 4th three, and 5th two. The 2nd district isn’t itching for a new hospital because three towns there -- San Miguel, Pavia and Leganes are only 15 km to Iloilo City which has seven public and private hospitals, and the rest of it towns (Leon and Alimodian) about 30 kms. away from the city.

Oton town of the first ditrict is 12 km. south of Iloilo City. The rest are 20 km. to 53 kms. (like San Joaquin) away. ###


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