(MANILA BULLETIN) Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada has filed a measure seeking to upgrade the services and facilities of the fire-stricken, underfunded Philippine General Hospital (PGH), as well as the hiring of additional staff to complement the proposed increase in bed capacity.
As the largest government tertiary hospital in the country and the only national referral center for tertiary cases, Estrada said it is important to ensure that PGH provides high-quality medical and healthcare services.
“The recent fire incidents that hit the hospital have made us realize the sorry state of PGH. Katulad ng libo-libong kababayan natin na umaasa sa serbisyo ng PGH, na karamihan ay mga indigent patients, nangangailangan na rin ang PGH ng agarang atensyon ng Kongreso at pamahalaan (Like the thousands of our compatriots who rely on PGH services, most of whom are indigent patients, PGH also needs the immediate attention of Congress and the government),” Estrada said.
In filing Senate Bill No. 2634, Estrada also sought to increase PGH’s current 1,500 bed capacity to 2,200 beds to accommodate more patients and the hiring of additional workforce including doctors, nurses, support personnel, among others.
He noted that for the past decades, the country’s premiere medical center has been operating beyond its capacity and dealing with overcrowding and extended patients waiting time.
This has significantly affected PGH’s delivery of medical services to its patients, especially the poor and marginalized, he noted.
Based on data collected by his office, Estrada said PGH serves approximatey over 600,000 patients annually.
In order to address these challenges, the senator said existing healthcare services and facilities should align with the proposed bed capacity increase: “Investing in people’s health is important in order to provide ordinary Filipinos greater access to world-class and affordable tertiary hospital care,” said Estrada.
At the same time, the lawmaker proposed to include the necessary amount for the implementation of the measure in the annual national budget.
More than a hundred patients were temporarily evacuated when fire gutted a storage room of the PGH that was being renovated last Saturday, April 20.
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) is still determining the cause of the fire but is looking at the possibility it is due to electrical issues.