Tacloban City—Eastern Visayas-based Tingog party-list has pushed for the development of healthcare services in partnership with other lawmakers from the region.
“Ensuring access to affordable quality hospital services to all parts of Eastern Visayas is one of Tingog’s top priorities,” the group said as it envisioned the hospital development roadmap in the region.
“We are happy to report that Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez, in partnership with our district representatives in the region, have filed several house bills aimed to resolve the existing gap in hospital bed capacity and to upgrade the service capability of key healthcare facilities in the region,” it added.
In line with the implementation of the Universal Health Care Act, Tingog is also finalizing a draft on the Rural Hospital Modernization Bill, which aims to finance the modernization of district and local government hospitals in Eastern Visayas.
Earlier, Tingog’s House Bill 1153, which seeks the creation of the Samar Island Medical Center, has been approved at the committee level and is awaiting plenary approval.
According to the party-list group, two referral tertiary hospitals will be also strengthened: Schistosomiasis Hospital in Leyte, which will be converted into a general hospital, and the proposed Samar Island Medical Center.
The proposed Eastern Visayas Medical Center is intended to become the region’s apex hospital with subspecialty units.
House Bill 6972 (Eastern Visayas Medical Center Bill) and House Bill 6971 (Conversion of the Schistosomiasis Hospital) have already been approved on third reading at the House of Representatives and are now pending at the Senate.
Also, Tingog Party-List is working with other district representatives “to ensure adequate tertiary hospital services are also available at the provincial level.”
These include the Northern Samar Medical Center with Rep. Paul Daza and Rep. Jun Ong, the Eastern Samar Medical Center with Rep. Maria Fe Abunda, the Ospital han Samar Hospital System with Rep. Sharee Ann Tan, and the Southern Leyte Medical Center with Rep. Roger Mercado.
“Much has been achieved, but much more still needs to be done. With your support, we will continue to work hard to serve the people of Eastern Visayas,” Tingog said.