Residents of San Miguel town in Leyte province do not have to travel to the city anymore to avail health services with the opening of the first hospital in their locality.

Mayor Norman Sabdao said in a phone interview Thursday that after two years of construction, the hospital is now ready to serve families from 21 villages.

“This is the result of our shared vision to have a facility that ensures San Miguel residents receive proper care for their medical concerns,” Sabdao said.

Two doctors, six nurses, six midwives, and 10 other personnel were assigned to the 15-bed San Miguel Municipal Hospital classified by the Department of Health (DOH) as an infirmary. The facility was formally opened on Sept. 16.

Sabdao said the construction of the hospital started in March 2022 with an initial funding of PHP5 million from the local government’s development fund.

An additional PHP7 million was allocated in March 2023, and another PHP8 million in March 2024.

The new hospital will receive initial medical assistance worth PHP10 million from the office of House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, Leyte’s first district representative.

Pending the procurement of additional equipment, the hospital will utilize the existing facilities of the municipal health unit, he said.

“With the opening of the new hospital, patients and their families can save money and travel time when they need urgent medical attention since the public hospital is now within their reach,” Sabdao said.

Aside from hospital confinement services, the facility also offers outpatient services such as general medical, pediatric, obstetrics and gynecology, and surgical consultations, pharmacy services, and laboratory services.

Other services available include minor surgical procedures, dental health services, tuberculosis treatment, family planning services, maternal and child health care, environmental sanitation, health regulatory activities, medico-legal services, and other DOH special programs.

The hospital is the first in San Miguel town and the second in Leyte’s first district outside Tacloban City and Palo town.

Prior to the completion of the municipal hospital, San Miguel residents had to travel 35 kilometers to the nearest hospital in Palo town or 42 kilometers to Tacloban, the regional capital. (PNA)