Once completed, the Laguna Regional Hospital (LRH) in Bay, Laguna, now under construction, is expected to reduce the issues of the lack of specialized medical centers in the province.
This, after the Department of Health (DOH) released the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 12071, which institutionalizes LRH.
In the rationale of Administrative Order No. 2025 that was signed by Health Secretary Dr. Ted Herbosa last May 14, the LRH is expected to address the growing demands for tertiary healthcare services in the province.
"In the province of Laguna, home to approximately 3.5 million people, access to quality tertiary care remains limited, particularly for indigent and financially disadvantaged populations," the order pointed out.
To address this gap, legislative measures were introduced during the 19th Congress, particularly from outgoing 2nd District Representative Ruth Mariano-Hernandez, to expand access to healthcare service in the province through the creation of the LPH.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. signed into law RA No. 12071 last November 8, 2024, while construction has already begun at the future site of the LPH in Barangay Puypuy, Bay, Laguna.
Under the IRR of RA No. 12071, the new hospital will have an overall capacity of 300 beds, enough not only for patients within Laguna province but also for other provinces in the Calabarzon region.
As a Level III General Hospital, LRH will also provide departmentalized clinical services such as Medicine, Pediatrics, Obstretrics and Gynecology, Surgery, and other specialized health care services.
The DOH itself will have oversight jurisdiction and control over the LRH's operations, with the regional director of the DOH-Center for Health Development (CHD) Calabarzon being the hospital's concurrent officer-in-charge while the hospital's organizational structure and staffing are being established.
According to DOH officials, the new LRH will “unburden” the Batangas Regional Hospital in Batangas City and Southern Tagalog Hospital in Bacoor City, Cavite, which are the frequent destinations for Laguna's patients.
It will likewise streamline healthcare delivery and alleviate congestion in existing medical centers in the province, DOH Assistant Secretary Ariel Valencia had said last year.
Earlier, the DOH and the provincial government also announced that a total of 13 Super Health Centers (SHCs) are being built in Laguna.
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