Oro mayor reports P200-M spent for medical, hospital services

Cagayan De Oro City (30 June) — City Mayor Constantino G. Jaraula debunked criticisms that medical and hospital services are not getting fair attention from City Hall, saying that the city government is spending this year over P200 million for the J.R. Borja Memorial City Hospital and the City Health Office.

“All in all in health, more than P200 million ang atong allocation. Wala nato abandonaha ang serbisyo sa panglawas sa katawhan because that is part of the services that we would want to be for Cagayan de Oro City,” Mayor Jaraula told a group of local mediamen during a press conference held yesterday afternoon at the City Mayor’s Office reception hall.

Jaraula called for a media conference to shed light on criticisms against City Hall for reportedly allocating a ‘measly’ amount from the P97 million supplemental budget which was approved lately by the City Council.

“Either ignorance or malicious, kadtong P97 million nga gipagawas was a supplemental budget ug ang gihatag sa city hospital was just an addition to the basic (annual budget allocation). But no matter how you explain this, kung malicious ang ila, dili gyud nila masabot,” Mayor Jaraula hurled back to his critics, adding that the criticisms… “only come ignorance on local governance”.

For the ‘respectable’ operation of the J.R. Borja Memorial City Hospital, Mayor Jaraula explained that the city has allocated this year an amount of P91.347 million for the city-run hospital.

This amount is broken down as follows: P50.647 million for personal services which is basically intended for salaries, wages and allowances for doctors, dentists, nurses and other health personnel; P32.9 million for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE); P27.8 million for drugs and medicines and P5 million for other expenses.

Like the city-run hospital that caters to the basic health needs of the poor people, Mayor Tinnex said the city government has set aside some P109.1 million for the City Health Office operations.

This covers P60 million for personal services, P24.5 million for MOOE, P17.5 million for drugs and medicines and P7 million for other expenses.

In addition from local funds, Mayor Jaraula said the local government got a P62 million subsidy from the national government through the Department of Health (DOH) as part of the pledge of commitment by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in August 2007.

Of the said amount, according to Mayor Jaraula, some P22 million is intended for the completion of the construction of the J.R. Borja Memorial City Hospital Annex Building Project, while the remaining P40 million will be used for upgrading and expansion of the 22 barangay health centers all over the city.

Aside from this, Jaraula said the city government is deploying two units of mobile clinics in an efforts to address the health needs of the ‘poorest of the poor’ and underprivileged residents in the hinterland areas under the so-called “Forwarding Delivery of Basic Health Services Program”.

A three-man team composed of a doctor, a dentist and a nurse will be assigned to each mobile clinic while extending medical and dental services to the residents in upland barangays, he added.

With barangay Lumbia serving as its base point, the first unit, which was delivered lately, will serve barangays Bayanga, Mambuaya, Dansolihon, Tignapoloan and Besigan while the other mobile clinic will cover barangays Pagalungan, Tagpangi, Taglimao, Tuburan, Pigsag-an and Tumpagon.

Mayor Jaraula hopes that the deployment of the two mobile clinics will help reduce the patient population at the overcrowded city-run J.R. Borja Memorial City Hospital, especially those coming from far-flung barangays.

With the mobile clinic doing regular stopover at every covered barangay, poor patients will no longer have to travel to the City Hospital to avail of medical check-up and other health services, the Mayor said.

The mobile clinic could also serve as an emergency ambulance if a patient needs an immediate transport to a nearest hospital during emergency cases, he concluded. (CIO)