ILOILO City – Antique and Guimaras in Western Visayas are among the 27 provinces in the Philippines with less than 0.5 per 1,000 population bed density, according to the study of state think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS).
Per 1,000 persons, Antique has a 0.417 bed capacity while Guimaras only has 0.133.
The 25 other provinces were the following: Palawan (0.499), Pangasinan (0.485), Samar (0.474), La Union (0.469), Oriental Mindoro (0.464), Surigao del Sur (0.429), Romblon (0.428), Aurora (0.336), Marinduque (0.314), Sarangani (0.306), Northern Samar (0.29), Maguindanao (0.29), Agusan del Sur (0.285), Lanao del Sur (0.276), Zamboanga, Sibugay (0.262), Basilan (0.254), Ifugao (0.241), Davao Oriental (0.226), Tawi-Tawi (0.214), Zamboanga del Norte (0.198), Sulu (0.15), Davao de Oro (0.141), Occidental Mindoro (0.096), and Masbate (0.05).
Most of the provinces are located in Mindanao and with high poverty incidence and populations that are mostly indirect contributors of Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).
In the study “Spatiotemporal Analysis of Health Service Coverage in the Philippines”, PIDS senior research fellow Valerie Gilbert Ulep, supervising research specialistsJhanna Uy and research consultants Clarisa Joy Flaminiano, Vicente Alberto Puyat and Victor Andrew Antonio assessed PhilHealth’s facility coverage by computing the proportion of accredited beds per province per 1,000 province population and analyzing data by hospital ownership (public and private) and hospital level as defined in the Universal Healthcare Act (Republic Act 11223).
It used PhilHealth data from 2018 to 2021 and auxiliary datasets from the Department of Health (DOH), Philippine Statistics Authority, and Washington-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation to generate locality-based trends and insights.
LCEs: Improving bed capacity, other health facilities a priority
Antique governor Rhodora J. Cadiao said it has been her priority to improve the bed capacity not only of the provincial hospital, Angel Salazar Memorial General Hospital (ASMGH) in San Jose de Buenavista town, but also of the other seven Antique district hospitals.
“Alam mo, I am maintaining eight district hospitals, and one of them is the provincial hospital. Almost all of the Internal Revenue Allotment of the province goes to healthcare or mga hospitals,” said Cadiao in an interview with Panay News.
The seven other district hospitals managed by the Antique provincial government are the following:
* Rep. Ramon Maza Sr. Memorial District Hospital in Sibalom
* Culasi District Hospital
* Pedro L. Gindap Municipal Hospital in Barbaza
* Sebaste Community Hospital
* Bugasong Medicare Community Hospital
* President Diosdado Macapagal District in Tobias Fornier
* Gov. Leandro L. Fullon District Hospital in Pandan
ASMGH is a Level 2 hospital with a 100-bed capacity, accommodating patients in the province’s 18 towns. However, it was stretched during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Kadya indi na pwede ang 100-bed capacity, so we are trying to upgrade to 200 beds. But kon ma-upgrade, ma-upgrade ka man sang staffing and facilities, and it means we spend more money,” added Cadiao.
The provincial government is also working on improving other services like adding ambulances, purchasing CT scan and x-ray machines, and other laboratory equipment.
The governor said there is a crucial need to improve ASMGH so that Antiqueños would no longer go to hospitals in Iloilo City.
In Guimaras, meanwhile, Vice Gov. John Edward Gando said he and Gov. JC Rahman Nava are prioritizing the improvement of the Dr. Catalino Gallego Nava Provincial Hospital (DCGNPH) in the provincial capital of Jordan.
DCGNPH is a Level 1 hospital with a 25-bed authorized capacity but can accommodate up to 150 patients.
Gando said he, together with Gov. Nava and Cong. Lucille Nava, are eyeing making DCGNPH a Level 2 hospital with 150 to 200 beds.
“Subong gina-push gid namon nga magtaas ang amon bed capacity kay may infra-support or manugsulod nga improvement nga more than P100 million kay gusto namon ma-elevate ang amon category,” Gando told Panay News.
As part of the province’s effort for Level 2 accreditation with the DOH, the intensive care and pulmonary units, blood station, and CT scan section were established last year.
The governor also eyes the construction of a building for a bigger laboratory, emergency and operating rooms, and another extension wing for the hospital.
Explained Gando, they must improve DCGNPH as the only provincial hospital in Guimaras catering to patients from five towns – Jordan, Buenavista, Sibunag, San Lorenzo, and Nueva Valencia.
The Nueva Valencia District Hospital was temporarily closed for renovation, while the Buenavista Emergency Hospital could only accommodate consultations and outpatients./PN
