The South Cotabato provincial government has turned over the management of the Soccsksargen General Hospital (SGH) in Surallah municipality to the Department of Health (DOH) for its transition to a regional hospital.
Governor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. said Saturday the transfer came about after the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the payment of the DOH of PHP100 million to the provincial government for the SGH development and operational expenses in the past.
“The health department has agreed to pay, but we are not in hurry to collect more than PHP100 million,” Tamayo said during the MOU signing ceremony on Friday afternoon.
SGH chief Dr. Ceril Borromeo said after complying with all the needed requirements, they will immediately process the application for Level 1 of the hospital, and subsequently for Level 2 to operate as a regional hospital by January next year.
“We will process the licensing, aside from the 75-bed capacity, we have the delivery room and operating room and the rest of the requirements for level 1, Borromeo said in a separate interview Saturday.
“The only additional requirement for level 2 is the intensive care unit (ICU). we already have areas plan, floor plan for everything, we need to upgrade the SGH because as of now it is only a general hospital,” she said.
Borromeo added that once the hospital will be upgraded to Level 2, it would increase its bed capacity from 100 to 300.
With this, she hopes the hospital will be opened again to the public in August this year.
Currently, she said there is no admission at the SGH, with their staff undergoing training to upgrade their capabilities, and at the same time conducting outreach programs in Surallah and the adjacent municipalities.
In October 2018, President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law Republic Act 11102 mandating the establishment of the SGH in Surallah.
It paved the way for the conversion of the Upper Valley Community Hospital in Surallah to SGH, which is managed by the South Cotabato provincial government as an extension of the provincial hospital in Koronadal City. (PNA)
