The new hospital building here equipped with state-of-the-art apparatus will decongest the existing city-run medical facility, the mayor announced on Wednesday.

In his State of the City address, Mayor Junard Chan said the 150-bed capacity building of the Lapu-Lapu City Hospital, is equipped with an intensive care unit (ICU), operating room, and improved laboratory services.

“The significant improvement of hospital facilities and services has resulted (in) the significant increase in admissions, from 8,693 in 2021 to 10,039 in 2022. Likewise, from 15,412 outpatient cases in 2021, it increased to 26,035 in 2022,” Chan said.

The city logged 1,874 patients availing the pre-natal care in 2021 but it almost doubled to 3,036 patients in 2022.

Chan commended the personnel of the hospital headed by Dr. Deborah Ann Custodio.

Considered before as a hospital receiving patients needing intensive care, the hospital now addresses various medical issues, the mayor said.

The local chief executive added the construction of an isolation facility for emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases at Olango Island’s Sta. Rosa Community Hospital is ongoing.

“Upgrading of the facilities and services is ongoing because it is our goal to make the Sta. Rosa Community Hospital into a level category medical facility by the Department of Health”, he said in the dialect.

Chan said his wife, Lapu-Lapu City Lone District Rep. Cindi King-Chan, has vowed to look for funding to finance the expansion of the hospital in Olango.

The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), he said, has also allowed point-of-service enrolment of patients admitted to this hospital but are not yet enrolled in this state health insurance firm.

“Aside from this, in case you are admitted to the Lapu-Lapu City Hospital, you can show the Indigent Medical Financial Assistance Card so that they can automatically avail of the medical services for free,” he said. (PNA)