In a bid to deliver better healthcare services, especially to the province’s poor patients, the provincial government is pushing to transfer the control and management of the Davao Oriental Provincial Medical Center (DOPMC) back to the national government.
On Wednesday, March 1, 2023, during the committee hearing at the Batasang Pambansa in Manila, Governor Corazon N. Malanyaon spoke before the members of the House of Representative’s Committee on Health, urging the passage of the legislation on the proposed renationalization of DOPMC, Davao Oriental’s biggest medical facility.
House Bill No. 5952, filed by Second District Representative Congressman Cheeno Miguel D. Almario, is touted to promote greater efficiency and improve hospital services which ‘Davao Oriental constituents truly deserve.’
Governor Malanyaon, who initiated DOPMC’s modernization and overall improvement during her last term as local chief executive, said the move would guarantee more funding for the hospital as bigger budget allocations are readily available for national government-run facilities.
During Governor Malanyaon’s term in 2011, DOPMC underwent a major facelift with the construction of high-rise buildings and the acquisition of state-of-the-art health equipment. With the proposed renationalization, the hospital expects to see more enhancements to better cater to its clients.
𝘼𝙙𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙨
Moreover, the proposed transfer would relieve the province from some of its current financial burdens.
This year, the province’s income from its share in the National Tax Allocation (NTA) will be significantly reduced by nearly half a billion, resulting from the huge shortfall in the national tax collections during the pandemic. Moreover, the huge debt servicing requirement of almost P400 million annually adds to the province’s financial burdens. These two significant challenges hinder the province’s capacity to maintain such a massive facility.
Based on the provincial government’s annual appropriation, DOPMC gets seventy percent of the total healthcare budget, or almost P200 million. Governor Malanyaon said, “the current cost of operating a level two facility holding patients over and beyond its bed occupancy, replete with all the surgical and critical care specialty services, including the cost of human resources and other medical and operational expenses, has taken a great toll on the financial condition of the province.”
“The operation of a big hospital such as ours has indeed become a financial burden to the provincial government,” Governor Malanyaon said.
In addition, the province also operates four more district hospitals and infirmaries – all of which need regular maintenance and operating costs, covering human resources and equipment, among other expenses.
𝘼𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙨
Governor Malanyaon, a strong healthcare advocate, assures that the decision was made considering the people’s best interest.
Aside from relieving the province from its financial burdens, renationalizing the provincial hospital can help ensure everyone has access to high-quality healthcare while promoting cost savings and better coordination within the healthcare system.
Moreover, should the proposal be successfully pushed, the provincial government can shift its focus to food security, agriculture, and tourism-related projects to boost its economy, counter the pandemic’s ill effects, and ultimately defeat poverty. ‘Thus, more funds are needed to support these priority programs,” said Governor Malanyaon.
Although the legislative process would take considerable time before the proposed bill is approved, Governor Malanyaon is optimistic that it would be considered for the benefit of her Davao Oriental constituents. ᴋʟᴅ-ᴘɪᴏ | ᴘʜᴏᴛᴏꜱ ʙʏ ᴇʟʟɪꜱꜱᴇ ꜰᴀʟʟᴀʀɴᴀ
