BANTAYAN, CEBU -- The Bantayan District Hospital is now home to the second SUGBUCAS Center in Cebu Province after Gov. Gwen Garcia signed the tripartite agreement with DOH 7 director Dr. Jaime Bernadas and VSMMC chief of hospital Dr. Gerardo Aquino Jr. in a ceremony that was witnessed by DOH Usec. Gloria Balboa.
Under SUGBUCAS program, DOH 7 and VSMMC shall deploy their competent medical professionals to this Capitol-run hospital in northern Cebu for the provision of ambulatory and urgent care services. Among other things, this allows DOH to save on time and resources that it otherwise had to spend on constructing facilities for the program.
On the other hand, SUGBUCAS shall also strengthen the absorptive capacities of Bantayan District Hospital, enhance health service delivery in its levels, and reduce referrals and congestions in ERs and OPDs in higher and tertiary hospitals in mainland Cebu.
The first SUGBUCAS Center in Cebu opened at the Cebu Provincial Hospital in Carcar City on April 4.
Also in the same ceremony, Dr. Bernadas signed the License to Operate for Bantayan District Hospital, elevating it to Level One Hospital. Among the facilities that were inaugurated are the hospital’s operating and emergency rooms, equipping them to handle operations and caesarian section procedure, among others.
“Double joy, double celebration of the triumph of the human spirit kay nakaya man gyud ni nato, kay kita nagtinabangay,” Gov. Garcia said in her speech.
The governor is very delighted at the unity of the medical professionals in the province whose main goal is to provide quality health care services to the Cebuanos in the Island of Bantayan, so that they would no longer have to cross the channel to avail of better medical services in the city.
On March 20, Gov. Gwen also opened a ten-unit hemodialysis center here. To further support its growth, the Capitol is also funding an on-going construction of a three-storey building here that is expected to raise the number of bed capacity of the hospital from 25 to 100.
Meanwhile, the district hospital can now cater to special needs such as major surgeries, caesarian section, among others.
This, after Bernadas signed the License to Operate for Bantayan District Hospital as a Level One Hospital on the same day, Tuesday.
Also present during the inauguration were fourth district Congresswoman Janice Salimbangon, Board Member Kerrie Shimura, Board Member Stanley Caminero, Bantayan Mayor Arthur Despi, Madridejos Mayor Romeo Villaceran, and Bantayan District Hospital chief Dr. James Nicholas Najarro. | JT