Dead on arrival. That was often the fate of many patients in Laguna province, particularly from the mostly rural third and fourth districts, who often had to seek advanced medical treatment as far as Metro Manila and other progressive provinces such as Batangas and Cavite.
No less than Representative Ruth Mariano-Hernandez, whose office often had to refer indigent patients to other hospitals, has seen how the lack of a specialized hospital in Laguna province has led to tragedy.
“Kahapon lang [May 15], dalawa sa mga pasyenteng tinutulungan ko ang nag-suffer ng aneurysm [a life-threatening condition where the blood vessels inside the brain rupture] at hindi po namin malaman kung saan sila dadalhin sapagkat walang kakayahan sa pribadong ospital,” she related the next day, May 16.
Five years from now, however, all that may soon be a distant nightmare for Lagunenses.
For that day, May 16, marked the beginning of the construction of the Laguna Regional Hospital, the province’s first tertiary-level government hospital that can provide specialized services for indigent Lagunenses.
Representative Hernandez joined her husband, incumbent Laguna Governor Ramil Hernandez; Vice Governor Atty. Karen Agapay; 3rd District Representative Loreto "Amben" Amante; and Deparment of Health – Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD) Regional Director Dr. Ariel Valencia at the groundbreaking ceremony for the future Laguna Regional Hospital, situated at a two-hectare property in Barangay Puypuy.
Also present during the event are members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan; at least two city mayors (Mayor Arman Dimaguila of Binan City and Mayor Ross Rizal of Calamba City), and local executives from various towns in the province.
"Ito ang matagal na nating hininintay to address the concerns and needs ng ating mga kababayan, lalo't higit ang mga mahihirap," was how Representative Hernandez put it in her speech during the ceremony. "This day marks the beginning [of a time] na hindi na po pangarap kundi realidad na ang pagkakaroon ng isang tertiary government hospital in the province of Laguna.”
Growing population
With Laguna’s population now reaching 3 million (as per the 2020 census), or third out of the Philippines’ 81 provinces), there has been a strong push among local government officials to create a hospital that will cater to the specialized needs of Lagunenses.
"Alam naman natin na may siyam na [government] hospitals na dito sa lalawigan ng Laguna, ngunit mas maganda talaga na mayroon na tayong tertiary-level na government hospital, lalo na't lumalaki na ang populasyon ng lalawigan natin," Dr. Rene Bagamasbad, Provincial Health Officer, explained in an interview with a local television station last April.
It was this mindset that pushed Representative Hernandez, in 2021, to file House Bill No. 9623, which seeks to create a Level III general hospital in Bay.
Under the DOH classification, a Level III general hospital can provide specialized services such as intensive care, advanced clinical laboratory services, and respiratory therapy services, and a dialysis facility and blood banks, as well as training and teaching facilities for resident doctors.
According to House of Representative records, the bill has passed third reading at the plenary level and was transmitted to the Senate last December.
The bill has received the enthusiastic support of several senators, including Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, who has continually pushed for improved medical services in Laguna province. (It should be mentioned that Senator Go recently led the opening of the first Super Health Center in the province, situated in Calauan town, last May 12, and was quoted as saying 12 more such centers will be opened in the province soon.)
"The proposed construction of the tertiary hospital took hours upon hours of careful deliberation by Governor Ramil Hernandez, Cong. Ruth Hernandez, together with the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to ensure that the project will be successfully implemented, considering that this is a very serious and significant undertaking not only for the benefit of Lagunenses but for the neighboring provinces as well," according to Laguna Provincial Information Office (PIO) head Christopher Sanji.
Multiple benefits
The construction of the new Laguna Regional Hospital will prove to be beneficial not only for Lagunenses but also for other residents of Calabarzon region, national and local officials said during the ceremony.
For one, the construction of a tertiary hospital right in the middle of Laguna province will not only solve the above-mentioned problem of a lack of specialized medical care in the province but also help decongest the two other tertiary-level government hospitals currently operating in Calabarzon, such as the Batangas Medical Center in Batangas City and the Southern Tagalog Regional Hospital in Bacoor City, Cavite.
"Nakikita po natin sa darating na panahon na ang Laguna Regional Hospital naman ang tatanggap ng mga may karamdaman na manggagaling sa ibang lugar," was how DOH-CHD Regional Director Dr. Ariel Valencia described it in his own speech.
The DOH regional head added that the construction of the new Laguna Regional Hospital is in line with the goals of the current leadership of the agency, under Secretary Dr. Ted Herbosa, to give every Filipino “equal access” to quality healthcare.
Along with the new Super Health Centers and other rural healthcare units (RHU) being constructed in Laguna province, Valencia expressed the hopes that the Laguna Regional Hospital will finally be able to provide Lagunenses with quality yet affordable healthcare services.
"Malaki ang magiging papel ng ating primary care facility, kasama na po ang mga Super Health Center at mga RHU, upang matugunan kaagad at mabigyan ng lunas ang mga isyung medikal ng ating mga kababayan," Valencia stressed.
#WeTakeAStand #OpinYon #OpinYonCoverStory #DOH #DPWH