Feature: The Nueva Vizcaya Provincial Hospital: a model health-tourism facility up north

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Feature: The Nueva Vizcaya Provincial Hospital: a model health-tourism facility up north

BAMBANG, Nueva Vizcaya ·

By Benjamin Moses M. Ebreo

posted 8-Aug-2012 ·

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The Nueva Vizcaya Provincial Hospital(NVPH), then known as the Bambang District Hospital(BDH), suffered a major setback when July 1990 earthquake struck, thereby affecting the delivery health services to Novo Vizcayanos.

The hospital walls, floors and ceilings were riddled with cracks that provincial officials had to build a new medical facility.

Construction, funded by the Department of Health, began in the early 90s in Barangay Almaguer North in this town.

In the late 90s, the NVPH was further developed with the infusion of funds from the Priority Development Assistance Fund(PDAF) of then Congressman Rodolfo Agbayani with counterpart funds from the provincial government.

“It was then where we also started the process of human development through numerous values transformation trainings through the Governance and Local Democracy(GOLD) project that will improve our customer-friendly relations. It resulted into our quality service-oriented employees,” said Margarita Dumlao, NVPH administrative officer.

In 2004, Governor Luisa Cuaresma intensified the development of the NVPH, including construction of additional health facilities and upgrading of equipments.

At present, the NVPH is now operating as a 175-bed hospital with PhilHealth and private wards, a dialysis center, PhilHealth Building, mobile hospital and Intensive Care Unit(ICU) building.

A P35-million Pediatric and Surgical Building was formally blessed to start the construction of the new project designed to cater to the increasing number of patients needing medical health care.

Governor Luisa Cuaresma said four more projects are to be constructed and completed before the elections next year. These include the ecumenical church, blood bank, laundry and maintenance building, hospital dormitory and rehabilitation of several hospital wards.

Dr. Edwin Galapon, chief of the NVPH said the hospital aims to provide more customer-friendly processes. It also plans to undertake aggressive physical plant re-structuring, equipment upgrading and modernization and more innovative service offerings.

It also plans to generate more income. “Since the continuing development of the hospital, we have surpassed our target income for the years and this was due to the increasing services catering to the growing number of patients patronizing the hospital yearly,” Galapon said.

He said the funds were locally sourced and initiated without entering into loan contracts with financial institutions.

The continuing innovations and developments initiated by the provincial government to the NVPH has attracted counterpart funds from the DOH such as the P104 million grant which will also be used to improve and upgrade the facilities of other local government unit-operated hospitals in the province such as the Dupax District Hospital(DDH), Kayapa District Hospital(KDH) and the Kasibu District Hospital(KDH).

With the purchase of its powerhouse, the NVPH is now a brownout – free hospital, providing services and usual operations uninterrupted daily.

Monte Carlo Mar Delizo, 52 and a private businessman who has experienced regular confinement at the NVPH said the hospital’s peaceful environment as it was located a few meters from the national highway can be a soothing medicine for those who would like to recover early.

“This is complemented by the friendly staff of professional nurses and doctors, it is like being in a private hospital in Metro Manila and with cheaper costs,” he said.

With the rising fame, attraction and quality service of the NVPH,, the Regional Development Council(RDC) officialy recognized it as a model health-tourism facility in Cagayan Valley.

Dr. Eduardo Banzon, chief executive officer of PhilHealth who visited the NVPH early this year then as a World Bank representative expressed awe and praised the hospital for the many improvements it has shown for eight years. (BME/PIA 2-Nueva Vizcaya)

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