Concerns on City Hospital Reach Duque

CITY hall has to comply with the requirements of the health department if the J. R. Borja Memorial Hospital is to remain a hospital.

“They (local government) must comply with all DOH requirements,” said Health Secretary Francisco Duque during a news conference on Friday.

He said this when he was told by a radio reporter that the city hall-run hospital was in sorry state.

Caught by surprise, Dr. Jaime Bernadas, DOH director for northern Mindanao, quickly said city hall has already released millions of pesos to improve the local government-owned hospital.

Earlier, city hall shifted its focus on the JR Borja hospital after Reps. Rufus Rodriguez and Rolando Uy filed a bill that seeks to transfer the hospital’s management from the city government to the Department of Health through the Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC). Mayor Constantino Jaraula strongly oppposed the bill.

Duque had this to say about Jaraula’s position: “We respect the position of the local chief executive because (the city hospital) is under the local government’s autonomy.”

Concerns about the city hospital’s state and the resignation of its doctors prompted city hall to announce that some P91 million has been set aside for the medical institution this year. City hall also announced an additional budget P5 million for more medicines. Mark Francisco