BAGUIO Representative Mark Go’s push to further expand the capacity of the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) has been approved by the House of Representatives on third and final reading, and has been transmitted to the Senate.
The bill would see the expansion of BGHMC’s bed capacity from 800 to 1,500, nearly double of its current figures.
Go says that the bill is not only a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw the city’s healthcare facilities overwhelmed and over-occupied, but also equips the city and its health care workers with the capacity to care for patients both from Baguio and nearby municipalities.
With such an increase, once implemented, Go said that the BGHMC will be able to cater to more than just Baguio residents, citing other Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and Northern Luzon residents as part of those who could benefit from the facility expansion.
Currently, according to Go, the limited capacity of the hospital results in a waiting list as big as 100 people on certain packed days, hindering BGHMC’s ability to provide public health services to its patients.
Go was also the principal author of Republic Act 11084, which increased the hospital’s bed capacity from 500 to 800 to address the hospital’s past occupancy rate.
According to the lawmaker, the BGHMC offers leading-edge specialty services for the CAR, Baguio, and for Northern Luzon patients.
The hospital, which trains over 200 residents in over 16 specialized fields, is set to fully implement 15 more specialty programs over the next four years.
