BACOLOD City – Residents of southern Negros Occidental are expected to gain better access to specialized medical services as the Merceditas J. Montilla District Hospital (MJMDH) in Sipalay City is set to become an annex of the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH).
The Provincial Government of Negros Occidental and CLMMRH recently formalized the arrangement through a 25-year deed of usufruct signed at the Governor’s Office in the Provincial Capitol.
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and CLMMRH Medical Center Chief Dr. Joan Cerrada signed the agreement, witnessed by Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Mary Ann Maestral, Provincial Administrator Atty. Rayfrando P. Diaz II, and CLMMRH Chief Administrative Officer Shareen Caelian.
Under the agreement, the MJMDH property and hospital facility will be placed under the management and development of CLMMRH and will operate as the CLMMRH-Merceditas J. Montilla District Hospital Specialty Center once the agreement takes effect.
According to the provincial government, the facility will provide urgent care, ambulatory services, specialized medical care, and other hospital and allied health services in compliance with DOH requirements and standards.
The integration is expected to bring specialized healthcare services closer to residents of southern Negros, reducing the need for patients to travel to Bacolod City for certain medical procedures and treatments.
It will also provide additional capacity for specialized medical services outside the provincial capital, complementing existing regional healthcare facilities.
The provincial government said the initiative aligns with the DOH’s policy of integrating local health facilities with tertiary regional hospitals to strengthen healthcare delivery and expand access to specialized medical services.
Once operational, the specialty center is also expected to help decongest major hospitals in Bacolod City by accommodating patients from southern Negros who require specialized care.
The provincial government emphasized that the arrangement aims to improve healthcare accessibility and strengthen the delivery of medical services to communities in the southern part of the province./PN
