TWO isolation facilities worth a combined P38.5 million will rise in Benguet.
The two isolation facilities are intended to be used for the care of COVID-19 cases in the province, in combination with the province’s various hospitals and healthcare facilities.
Benguet Governor Melchor Diclas led groundbreaking ceremonies for the two facilities, one of which costs P28.5 million and is within the Northern Benguet District Hospital (NBDH)’s premises, while the other will be built in the municipality of Kapangan.
Diclas said that the two isolation facilities will free up the Benguet General Hospital (BeGH) from having to isolate patients. BeGH was recently filled up to 74 percent by COVID-19, necessitating the decongestion of the facility.
Additional isolation facilities are also being put up in Tublay and Itogon.
The P28.5 million isolation facility is part of a larger project to expand the NBDH to a Level 2 hospital facility in order to improve its services.
The BeGH was also previously upgraded to better address the COVID-19 pandemic.
The hospital has made moves to grow its workforce from 300 through the hiring of 50 non-permanent workers and staff.
The Department of Health-Cordillera (DOH-CAR), has also provided the hospital another 105 personnel and 75 medical staff paid for by the funds of the governor’s office.
Governor Melchor Diclas earlier said that while the local government’s subsidy for the province-run hospital amounts to P40 million, the hospital has already taken up P100 million worth of funds thus far in the year.
