Modernization sweeping Bataan prov’l hospital
Bataan General Hospital (BGH) was recently hailed as a model of partnership between the Department of Health and the provincial government of Bataan, under Gov. Enrique “Tet” Garcia and his son, Rep. Abet Garcia.
In a press statement, the Bataan provincial government said BGH was now second to the Philippine General Hospital in Manila in access by indigent patients to cataract treatment that is under the PhilHealth’s universal coverage program.
The improved BGH impressed Dr. Eduardo Banzon, former PhilHealth president and chief executive officer, during a recent visit to the provincial government hospital.
Banzon congratulated Representative Garcia and Dr. Ria Baltazar, BGH director, for the modern facilities and for the efficient management of the hospital.
The statement quoted Banzon as saying BGH is comparable to private hospitals except that BGH is accessible to every resident of Bataan, including those who cannot afford hospital services.
Banzon also proposed to make BGH one of the pilot hospitals for the PhilHealth’s global insurance program.
BGH started as a 20-bed hospital and, under the Garcia administration in Bataan, now calls home a new three-story building with elevators.
Renovations have improved BGH’s PhilHealth wards, semi-private rooms, operating room and other facilities.
It has since expanded its capacity to 50 beds, with a separate 30-bed ward for patients with tuberculosis and other communicable diseases.
The BGH’s emergency room (ER) and intensive care unit have been modernized. The ER is now near to equipment like X-ray, ECG and ultrasound machines and is easily accessible to hospital staff.
