Home away from the ward
(PHOTO COURTESY: MARK ESCOL)
TACLOBAN CITY — Just steps away from the beeping monitors and crowded corridors of the Eastern Visayas Medical Center (EVMC), a modest shelter in Barangay Bagacay has quietly become a refuge for Biliranons enduring one of life’s hardest waits — watching over a loved one fighting illness.
For Rocelyn Mazurca, 35, of the island town of Maripipi, ‘Balay Biliranon’ has been more than a temporary place to sleep. It has been a lifeline while she tends to her ailing mother, Rosemarie, 55, who has been confined at EVMC for several weeks and is awaiting surgery.
“At least we have a good and comfortable place to stay while we attend to our patients confined at EVMC,” Masurca said, describing the relief of having a safe space close to the hospital.
Staying at Balay Biliranon has allowed Mazurca to remain within walking distance of her mother while easing the financial strain brought by daily expenses for food, drinking water, and lodging in the city.
“Most importantly, I can stay close to my mother while she is still confined,” she added.
Balay Biliranon, located directly across EVMC, is composed of two adjacent rented houses operated by the Provincial Government of Biliran. The facility caters exclusively to Biliran residents who have family members admitted or seeking treatment at EVMC, the largest government-run hospital in Eastern Visayas and a referral center for the region.
The shelter opened on July 15, 2022, at a time when the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continued to limit mobility and affordable accommodation options for families traveling to Tacloban City for medical care.
On Wednesday, January 28, Biliran Governor Rogelio Espina personally visited the facility to check on its occupants, 19 of whom were staying there at the time.
“I came here to visit them and see their situation. This is really meant to help fellow Biliranons who have patients confined at EVMC,” Espina said.
Beyond free lodging, Espina said the provincial government regularly provides rice and other basic assistance to help families cope with the long and often exhausting hospital stays.
“This is a big help for those attending to their patients. At least they can sleep comfortably on a bed with a mattress, not on cardboard inside the hospital,” he said.
“Not only the patients suffer, but also those watching over them. The watchers might even get sick themselves,” Espina added.
During the visit, the governor also reiterated his call for support from the Department of Health (DOH) as Biliran pushes forward with the construction of its new provincial hospital, which is targeted to begin operations next year.
The project, which broke ground nearly three years ago, has a budget of more than P400 million and is expected to house 200 beds — more than double the current Biliran Provincial Hospital’s 75-bed capacity.
“We are hoping the DOH will help in running local hospitals like ours and, in the process, staff them with specialist doctors,” Espina said. “Biliran is a small province and does not have enough funds to complete such projects in a short time.”
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
