By Caryl Vivien S. Tomanda
TACLOBAN CITY Aug 31 (PNA) – City Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez thanked the SM Foundation for renovating and refurbishing the Tacloban City Hospital.
Romualdez said that rebuilding the city hospital will not only benefit the city, but also the entire region since Tacloban City is the regional center.
He also said that the renovation and refurbishing of the City Hospital will help strengthen the character of the Taclobanon, especially those who have lost their love ones.
“The Tacloban City Hospital will open job opportunities that would help the Taclobanon elevate their way of living,” Romualdez said.
“With the resilience of our people and our partners in the rehabilitation, there is definitely no way to go, but to move forward in the development of Tacloban,” he added.
Before the typhoon hit Tacloban, the City Hospital served more than 138 villages with an average of 100 patients per day.
“With the new Tacloban City Hospital renovated and refurbished by the SM Foundation, there will surely be an increase in the number of patients that will be served,” Romualdez said.
The SM Foundation financed the renovation of Tacloban City Hospital Main Building, the Out-Patient Department and Outbreak/Epidemic Ward.
In addition to this, the bed capacity of the hospital has been increased from 50 to 100.
There were also other features that added like the Felicidad T. Sy Wellness Center for Children and Elderly, prayer room and malnutrition ward.
As a result of the improvements, they have been upgraded to a level 2 hospital from level 1 under the Hospital Capability of the Department of Health (DOH).
Although, the City Hospital still needs additional doctors, nurses and other maintenance personnel for them to provide faster and effective medical services, Romualdez said, adding that as of now, they only have 42 regular, eight detailed, one casual and nine job order employees.
The Tacloban City Hospital rehabilitation was made possible with the efforts of the SM Foundation together with the City Government, DOH, and the Office of the Presidential Assistance for Reconstruction and Recovery (OPARR).
The City Hospital is one of the properties of the City Government of Tacloban which had been damaged by the historic typhoon. (PNA)