City Hall to turn over mgt of Guba hospital to DOH

CEBU, Philippines - The Guba Emergency Hospital in the mountain Barangay Guba will be temporarily shut down for four months to give way to the ongoing rehabilitation of its building.

After its rehabilitation, the city government is also looking at the possibility of turning it over to the Department of Health, which they believe can manage the facility better.

Councilor Alvin Arcilla said his office received various complaints from residents and officials of mountain barangays against the impending closure of the emergency hospital.

Guba Hospital caters to the mountain barangays in the north district that have less access to medical facilities in the urban area.

Arcilla said Cebu City Medical Center acting chief Eduardo Epifiano G. Sedoripa issued a memorandum ordering the temporary closure of the facility due to the ongoing rehabilitation that covers the whole building.

Sedoripa also reportedly ordered the doctors and nurses assigned there to report to the main hospital.

To address the residents’ complaints, Arcilla met with Sedoripa yesterday afternoon to find alternative ways to avoid the closure of the facility.

“We cannot close the hospital kay daghan nagreklamo na mga kapitan kung asa na sila mupaingon. Our suggestion is to do the rehabilitation phase by phase so as not to affect the delivery of service,” Arcilla said.

The hospital is apparently undergoing a major overhaul which is the first repair it has experienced since it was established in the 1980s.

He is set to meet with the Department of Engineering and Public Works to discuss how they will go about a phase-by-phase rehabilitation.

“But just in case we really have to close it, I have spoke with the barangay officials and they are willing to provide an area where to temporarily relocate the facility. So wala lang siguro admission, but they will still accept patients for consultation. Pwede sad makapaanak ang midwife pero normal delivery lang siguro,” he said.

Arcilla also said that Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young has proposed to turn over the management of the Guba Emergency Hospital to the DOH which may be able to manage the facility better.

He said that Guba is in a poor condition for many years that it is under the CCMC.

“Proposal pa ni, study-han pa ni sa council. We are trying to figure out which option is better. Gikan naman gud na sa DOH ang Guba Hospital unya ibalik na sad sa DOH,” Arcilla explained.

Guba Emergency Hospital was managed by DOH in the past until it was turned over to the city government because of a memorandum circular disallowing the DOH to manage hospitals that are of less than 20-bed capacity.

Guba Hospital until now has a 19-bed capacity but it is complete with operating room, emergency room, laboratory, among others.

Arcilla said that they might just keep the hospital as Mayor Michael Rama committed to provide more budget for its operation.

“Manpower ra man sad ang atong problema diha,” Arcilla said.

The current rehabilitation of the Guba Emergency Hospital is funded by the Department of Health. The project costs P6.7 million.

In the 2011 Annual Budget, the city government has also allocated more than half a million of funds exclusive for medical supplies for the Guba Hospital. (FREEMAN)