Caraga dev’t council prioritizes full functionality, upgrading of hospitals
By
Renelle Escuadro
BUTUAN CITY (PIA) – National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Regional Director Gemima A. Olam announced the recent approval of Caraga Regional Hospital in Surigao City and Adela Serra Ty Memorial Medical Center in Tandag City as Level III hospitals in Caraga Region.
The
announcement was highlighted during the Caraga Regional Development Plan
2023-2028 provincial caravan on its final leg in Surigao City on April 19.
 |
National Economic Development
Authority (NEDA) Dir. Gemima A. Olam shared the good news in the healthcare
system of the region with the confirmation of Caraga Regional Hospital in
Surigao City and Adela Serra Ty Memorial Medical Center in Tandag City as Level
III hospitals in the region during the Caraga Regional Development Plan
2023-2028 provincial caravans in the cities of Tandag and Surigao. (Photo:
PIA-SDN) |
“Before, there were only two regions in the country that did not have a Level III hospital, and Caraga was one of them. Today, I am proud to announce that we have two hospitals in the region that are already approved and declared as Level III hospitals, namely, Caraga Regional Hospital in Surigao City and Adela Serra Ty Memorial Medical Center in Tandag City,” Olam said.
However, she underscored that these hospitals are still not fully functional as Level III hospitals, saying, “We are strongly pushing for support and funding for the full functionality of these Level III hospitals through their inclusion in the top three priority projects of Caraga Region to be presented to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on April 30 in a meeting with all RDC chairpersons.”
She added that the project also includes upgrading Agusan del Norte Provincial Hospital and Butuan Medical Center to Level III from Levels I and II hospitals, respectively.
This project, with a budget cost of P63 billion, shall address the need for specialized medical services while reducing the out-of-pocket expenditure of patients in the region.
On February 11, 1997, Republic Act No. 8255 signed into law on Feb. 11, 1997 converted the Surigao Provincial Hospital in Surigao City into Caraga Regional Hospital with an authorized initial bed capacity of 150. Today, Caraga Regional Hospital is one of the premier referral hospitals in the region and the neighboring provinces. Photo courtesy of Caraga Regional Hospital.
In the Philippines, a Level III hospital is considered a tertiary hospital that can provide all kinds of health services and can offer advanced specialized health care, such as neurosurgery, cardiac surgery, and other complex medical interventions, with a bed capacity of 200 to 1,500.
With this
initiative, the academe in the region is motivated to produce future
doctors by offering the Doctor of Medicine program to complement the
manpower requirements of these hospitals. Caraga State University in Butuan
City is eagerly waiting to receive the go signal from the Commission on Higher
Education (CHED) so it can start to accept pioneering students for the program.
North Eastern Mindanao State University (NEMSU) in Tandag City, on the other
hand, is tediously working on its application to include the school of medicine
in its curriculum soon. (RLE/PIA-Caraga)
The Surigao del Sur Provincial Hospital was renamed Adela Serra Ty Memorial Medical Center on Feb. 15, 1993 by virtue of Republic Act No. 7433 sponsored by then-Congressman Mario Serra Ty, with a 100-bed capacity. It is an ISO-certified health facility, providing comprehensive, affordable, sustainable and quality health services through utilization of modern health care facilities. Photo courtesy of ASTMMC.
