BUTUAN CITY, Philippines - In its effort to attain an efficient and effective delivery of basic health services to their constituents, the provincial government of Agusan del Norte is eyeing to build a Php 100 million provincial hospital at this region's capital city, it was learned Wednesday. The construction of the provincial hospital is part of the 2008-2012 Province-wide Investment Plan for Health (PIPH) in pursuing areas of reforms that are supportive of improving health condition in the province. The technical working group of PIPH is under the supervision of Gov. Erlpe John Amante. PIPH is designed and packaged consistent with the four reform areas of the Health Sector Reform Agenda (HSRA) in the Formula One framework, namely: Service Delivery, Health Regulation, Health Care Financing and Governance. One of the interventions in the delivery of improved and quality health care services is through upgrading the provincial hospital in terms of infrastructure and equipment.
The construction of the new 200-bed health facility will follow the Department of Health (DoH) standards and specifications. Based on the plan, the construction of the hospital is divided into four phases: Phase 1 - Php 20 million, Phase 2 - Php 30 million, Phase 3 Php 20 million and Phase 4 Php 30 million. Phase 1 which is to start before the end of the year at Barangay Libertad here, is being funded by the DoH and will serve as Comprehensive Emergency Maternal Obstetric Neonatal Care (CEMONC). The CEMONC facility is a 2-storey building comprising 6 private rooms and a 2 ten-bed capacity wards for the first floor and operating room and delivery room complexes plus a 32-bed OB-GYNE wards at the second floor, all with new sink and comfort rooms per ward, it was gathered .
In another development, health practitioners of the provincial hospital and the 11 municipalities of the province pledged commitment to adopt, implement and fully support the 2-way referral system of the Provincial Health Office (PHO), it was also learned Wednesday. The 2-way referral system seeks to have total recovery of all patients by operating a procedure of referrals that obligates medical practitioners to treat patients regardless of financial status starting from the barangay level to the Agusan del Norte provincial hospital. Gov. Amante was overwhelmed with this development in the province's health system and expects every health personnel to carry out their oath of commitment with utmost dedication. Under the said system, its operational framework works by levels. Depending upon a patient's medical case, referrals will be between the barangay health station, rural health unit, the municipal/district hospital, the provincial hospital or up to the regional medical center, ensuring the patient's prompt attention.
