Capitol Completes Repairs, Renovation Of Cebu Provincial Hospital- Carcar City

The Cebu Provincial Government has completed the construction of the P2.1 million sewage treatment plant (STP) in the Cebu Provincial Hospital-Carcar City. It has also substantially completed the P6.4 worth of repairs and renovation of the existing hospital and support facilities.

Governor Hilario P. Davide III topped health and hospital services in his priorities. He got help from the Department of Health, which funded the renovation.

Renovation was made on the facilities in the second floor, where the operating room, delivery room, and newborn screening rooms are located. The OB ward and private rooms are also in the second floor.

Based on the revenue statement of the Provincial Treasurer’s Office, the level-1 health facility is the top earning hospital of the Capitol with P40.8 million in 2015 and P21.3 million in 2014.

Gov. Davide, in his earlier statements, was reluctant to identify the hospital operations as an economic enterprise.The classification was made by the previous administration, when it enacted the Revenue Code of 2008. Section 172 of the said revenue code sets the provincial hospital service fees.

However, Gov. Davide wanted the hospitals to also recover the operating cost from patients who can afford to pay their hospital fees. The government, through the point of care program of Philhealth, subsidizes indigent patients who cannot afford health insurance.

No fees are collected from indigent patients as these are being charged to Philhealth, the national government’shealth insurance provider. The Cebu Provincial Government is paying an annual premium of P2,400 per person.

Officer-in-Charge Chief of Hospital Dr. Evelyn Familgan said around P30 million of their total income came as reimbursements from Philhealth while the rest were from paying patients.

She said they have more or less treated 300 emergency cases including the operations conducted last year.

The hospital can now carry outcaesarian operations, hernia, thyroidectomy, appendectomy, myomectomy, modified radical mastectomy, among others.

With three (3) surgeons alternating, they perform operations daily except Friday. They also have no OB services on Wednesday as the three (3) Obstetricians will take a day off. All in all, the hospital has 18 doctors including one anesthesiologist.

By Xerxes Alkuino

www.cebu.gov.ph