The management turnover of the Lipa City District Hospital, now called the Lipa City Hospital System 2, from the provincial to the city government here is seen to make the facility more responsive to the needs of patients while opening the doors to additional sources of funding.

In an interview on Thursday, Vice Governor Mark Leviste, also the presiding officer of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (provincial council), said that the move was carefully studied by both the executive and legislative branches of the provincial government.

“This is a milestone because this is the first in the country where the provincial government has abandoned a health facility located in a certain locality,” he noted.

Leviste said that Governor Hermilando Mandanas made “a good call” by spearheading the management transfer because the Lipa city government is in a better position to oversee the day-to-day operations of the hospital, whose primary customers are city residents.

The vice governor added the hospital now has access to fresh funding to sustain its operations through the Mandanas-Garcia ruling by the Supreme Court.

He pointed out that the landmark SC ruling adds teeth to the policy of devolving the national government authorities to the local government units (LGUs) by increasing their share of tax revenues.

Leviste recognized 6th District Board Member Aries Mendoza for authoring the legislation that caused the hospital’s turnover to Lipa city authorities.

Last Oct. 28, the Sangguniang Panlungsod (city council) of Lipa passed a special resolution renaming the Lipa City District Hospital to Lipa City Hospital System 2 as part of accepting management control over the facility.

In June 2022, Republic Act 11864 upgraded the same hospital into a Level II from a Level I government hospital.

The law called for increasing the hospital’s bed capacity from 75 beds to 200 beds, and mandated that the provincial government and the Department of Health (DOH) make available the funds needed to expand its operations.

Meanwhile, Mandanas said that the turnover of the hospital to the city government is part of the provincial government’s commitment to improve the delivery of services to Batangueños. (PNA)