A few years after it became operational, the satellite hospital in the mountain barangay of Guba, Cebu City has overturned beds while some rooms were used for storage.
Dr. Gloria Duterte, Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) chief, said only one doctor is employed at the Guba hospital. Three other doctors, 25 nurses and other personnel are taken from the CCMC.
“We’ve been posting notices for hiring in the Guba hospital but there are no applicants,” Duterte said during yesterday’s executive session with the Cebu City Council. The Guba hospital is under the CCMC.
She said this was why this year’s P18 million budget allocation for Guba hospital is barely used.
In a previous privilege speech, Councilor Nida Cabrera said while the city residents continue to clamor for better hospital service and medicines, funds have remained unspent.
Duterte said in one month, the Guba hospital can cater to only 10 admissions and 800 outpatients.
Manpower
She said the budget allocations of previous years sustained the minimal operations in the Guba hospital.
The facility started with a P4 million budget in 2012 but Duterte said it didn’t have any patients at the time.
Last year, it was allocated P12 million and the hospital received P18 million this year.
“We want to complete the manpower in Guba hospital with doctors, nurses, admin staff, midwives, pharmacist and radiologists. Now, the nurses there are from CCMC, that’s why the budget for manpower in Guba wasn’t used,” Duterte said.
Revisit
The Guba hospital was intended to service residents in upland barangays so that they won’t have to go to the CCMC.
But Councilor Lea Japson, who used to be the chairperson of the health committee, said most patients still end up going to the CCMC since Guba has no doctors and facilities.
“It seems that the Guba hospital is useless and not operational,” Japson said.
Councilor Mary Ann Delos Santos, chairperson of the health committee, said she wants to inspect the operation of the satellite hospital.
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