GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 16 Nov) – The Department of Health (DOH) has allocated an additional P148 million for the continuing expansion of the Allah Valley Community Hospital in Surallah town in South Cotabato.
South Cotabato second district Rep. Ferdinand Hernandez said the funds would be utilized for the construction of additional buildings and facilities as well as the acquisition of modern equipment.
He said the move was mainly aimed to fast-track the conversion of the facility as the regional hospital of Region 12.
President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed last Oct. 26 Republic Act 11102, which established the Allah Valley Community Hospital in Barangay Dajay, Surallah into the Soccsksargen General Hospital.
Hernandez, who authored the newly-enacted law in the House of Representatives, had been lobbying for the funding of the hospital’s expansion in the last five years.
He said the DOH, through its Health Facilities Enhancement Program, has already released around P160 million for the construction of various facilities and purchase of vital equipment for the hospital.
Around P95-million worth of projects were already completed and some P50 million are still ongoing, he said.
The official said around P15-million worth of hospital equipment are in the pipeline for acquisition.
“The additional P148 million is still to be carried out this year,” he said.
Hernandez said the establishment of the regional hospital in Surallah town is a huge boost for the province’s health care services.
“What was once only a dream will finally become a reality. This goes to show that with dedication and perseverance, nothing is impossible,” he declared in a Facebook post.
He lauded President Duterte “for approving this monumental law, giving importance to the improvement of healthcare services in the country.”
Hernandez credited the approval of the measure to the support of former Special Assistant to the President Secretary Christopher “Bong” Go, House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Health Secretary Francisco Duque, Senators Joseph Victor Ejercito and Nancy Binay and South Cotabato Gov. Daisy Avance-Fuentes.
Ejercito authored its Senate version and helped lobby for the release of additional funding for the facility, he said. (MindaNews)
