KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato, Oct. 1 (PIA) – The provincial government of South Cotabato is pushing for the transfer of the Upper Valley Community Hospital in Barangay Dajay, Surallah to the management of the Department of Health even before December 2022 deadline as well as the establishment of the said facility as SOCCKSARGEN General Hospital (SGH) as mandated by Republic Act 11102.
South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. said he has called for a meeting this week of the transition team to speed up the transition of UVCH administration to DOH and the development of the same as the new regional hospital of Region 12.
The transition team is composed of personnel from the DOH and provincial LGU who crafted the “Upper Valley Community Hospital (UVCH) – SOCCSKSARGEN General Hospital Transition Plan 2020-2022.”
The team last convened on February 19 to 21. Because of the coronavirus disease pandemic, the team has not met since and the implementation of activities in the transition plan was put on hold.
Tamayo expected that the meeting of the transition team will speed up the process considering that “so much must to be done for the transfer to take effect.”
Section 4 of the plan states that “the transition period for the integration of the Upper Valley Community Hospital (UVCH) as SOCCKSARGEN General Hospital shall have a period of three (3) years that will commence on January 1, 2020 and will expire on December 31, 2022. However, the final turnover is scheduled to take place sometime in June 2022 to coincide with the 3-year period since the signing of the MOA by both parties on June 2019.”
The governor, however, underscored that he is willing to turn over the management of the hospital prior to the set deadline if all matters, including legal concerns, are put in place and resolved.
Transition activities that should be undertaken are generally classified into five aspects, namely: health and human resource management; financial management; infrastructure and health facilities development; property, equipment, records and supply management; and operations, systems development and quality management.
Tamayo said that as part of the transition, the provincial government and DOH should forge a usufruct agreement for the use of the lot, equipment and facilities and other properties of the provincial government.
The governor added that he has not yet received authority from the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to enter into a usufruct agreement with the DOH regarding the UVCH.
Meanwhile, Dr. Condrado Brana, chief of South Cotabato Provincial Hospital and member of the transition team, noted that one major activitity that DOH has to comply with before the actual transfer is to establish a hospital development plan (HDP).
The HDP for SGH, as stated in the IRR of RA 11102 “shall be consistent with the Philippine Health Facility Development Plan (PHFDP) leading towards a Level 3 General Hospital.”
Tamayo also underscored that the provincial government’s coronavirus disease response may be at a disadvantage if measures to sustain the operation of UVCH as South Cotabato’s COVID-19 hospital are not addressed prior to the transfer.
UVCH was built from 2010 to 2013 through a P28-million grant from DOH and P25-million donation from San Miguel Corporation.
Originally, it was intended to be developed into a Level II health facility that will cater to patients in the municipalities in the Upper Valley area, namely Lake Sebu, Surallah, Sto. Nino, Tboli, Norala and Banga and eventually decongest the South Cotabato Provincial Hospital located in Koronadal City.
The 4.8-hectare lot occupied by the UVCH was donated by the municipal government of Surallah.
UVCH officially started operations in 2017 as an infirmary with a 10-bed capacity.
On October 16, 2018, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte signed RA 11102 “An Act Establishing the SOCCKSARGEN General Hospital in the Municipality of Surallah.”
At present UVCH is designated as COVID-19 hospital of South Cotabato in coordination with the South Cotabato Medical Society. As of press time, 16 COVID-19 patients are being treated at the health facility. (DED/PIA XII)
Source: Philippines Information Agency (pia.gov.ph)
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