Government-managed hospitals in Ilocos Norte will continue to be upgraded to ensure that patients will receive quality medical services.

Dr. Rogelio Balbag, executive director of the Ilocos Norte health management council, said in a media interview Thursday that for one, the Dingras District Hospital located at the eastern part of the province received PHP37 million from the Department of Health (DOH) under the Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP), a banner program aimed to bridge the gaps in healthcare delivery and increase access to healthcare facilities and services.

“All our public hospitals in the province are being upgraded to improve the delivery of basic healthcare to the Ilocanos. Thanks to our governor and other officials for lobbying more funds to the DOH to help us upgrade our health facilities such as the Dingras District Hospital,” he said.

In his speech during the groundbreaking ceremony for the continued upgrading of the Dingras District Hospital earlier in the day, Governor Matthew Joseph Manotoc expressed gratitude to the DOH for its continued support to help achieve the Marcos administration’s dream to transform the country into a “Bagong Pilipinas” (New Philippines) where Filipinos have access to quality primary healthcare.

With the release of the DOH funding, the Provincial Engineering Office said they are now ready to start the construction of an isolation building, a two-story warehouse, and a cadaver holding room for the Dingras hospital. Target completion date is 2025.

Manotoc also led the groundbreaking ceremony during the day of the two-story medical ward building, hospital laboratory and warehouse and expansion of the emergency room building of the Marcos District Hospital in Marcos town, funded by a PHP34.42 million budget from the DOH-HFEP.

“I hope that we speed up the construction and ensure that all funds will be utilized appropriately,” he said.

Along with the improvement of healthcare facilities, the governor also reiterated the need to improve patient services such as how personnel deal with the patients, calling on health professionals to apply in the various health facilities in the province.

“I just hope that these public health facilities with ongoing expansion and improvement will be put into good use with adequate manpower and quality services to avoid overcrowding in better-equipped government hospitals,” Jen Borromeo, a resident of Piddig town, said. (PNA)