While the President, lawmakers, their spouses and guests who had reserved gallery seats were all agog in rushing the fit of the outfits they were to wear in the State of the Nation Address as D-Date drew near, Rep. Erico Aristotle Aumentado double checked the 2015 General Appropriations Act (GAA) to verify whether all his proposals for Bohol’s Second District were indeed inserted.
His scrutiny proved fruitful: under the Health Facilities Enhancement Program  (HFEP-Hospitals) for implementation by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), he had P28 million for hospitals, broken down as: P10 million for the Don Emilio del Valle Memorial Hospital (DEDVMH) in Ubay town; P5 million each for the President Carlos P. Garcia Municipal Hospital, San Miguel Infirmary Hospital and the Garcia Memorial Provincial Hospital in Talibon town, and P3 million for the Clarin Community Hospital.
Aumentado said DEDVMH chief Mutya Kismet Tirol-Macuno had recommended another Out-Patient Department (OPD) Building because it is now the go-to hospital even for patients from eastern towns after Garcia-Hernandez.
Indigent patients are attracted to the “free†hospitalization with zero billing upon discharge to boot, offered at DEDVMH on account of the expanded Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) enrolment program – and the covering of any balance with funds from a trust fund from the Department of Health (DoH) deposited by Aumentado for the purpose.
The solon said Dr. Macuno had expressed her wish for a “green†hospital – fully air-conditioned and totally solar powered – the would-be first in Bohol. For the present building, the solon said only the Obstetrics and Gynecology Ward yet enjoys air-conditioning. Time will come, he said, that when the hospital shall have harnessed solar power, all areas including the wards and lobby will be fully air-conditioned.
The Pres. CPG Hospital main building will undergo upgrading of its electrical power supply connection, construction of Specialist Training Program (STP) area and support facilities as well as repair and renovation of the existing hospital building even as the solon also put in another P8 million for the procurement of equipment.
San Miguel will have its existing building expanded while an STP area and support facilities will also be constructed. On the other hand, the existing hospital buildings in Talibon will be repaired or renovated, an STP area and support facilities will also be constructed. Aumentado separately put in P6.4 million for the procurement of equipment for the infirmary.
The hospital buildings damaged by the Great Bohol Earthquake in Clarin will be repaired and renovated while a Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (Cemonc) building will be constructed.
Aumentado also had P9.704 million each for the reconstruction of the main buildings of the Rural Health Units (RHUs) in the Poblacion of both Sagbayan and San Isidro towns.
DOH’ standard amount for the renovation/expansion of barangay health stations (BHS) P3.1 million. Aumentado inserted a total of P58.9 million for the BHSs of Mandawa, Maomaoan and Poblacion of Bien Unido; Aguining in Pres. CPG; Bugang, Camanaga, Hagbuyo and Mahayag in San Miguel; Busalian, Magsaysay, San Francisco and San Jose in Talibon; Biabas, Main (Poblacion), Juagdan, Fatima, Union, Tapon and Tubog in Ubay.
Bigger schools also get to have BHSs constructed within the campus. Each province gets 12. Aumentado got three slots for his district – Carbon Elementary School in Carbon, Danao; Clarin Central School in Poblacion Centro, Clarin and Ssan Jose Elementary School in San Jose, Pres. Garcia.
The solon also had P1.5 million for the purchase of incubator, suction machine, Doppler and other laboratory equipment for the Danao rural health unit (RHU) and P600,000 for the upgrading of the Dagohoy birthing facility.
Up for deliberation are the solons’ proposals for 2016. Aumentado’s proposals will be listed next week.(June S. Blanco)