TACLOBAN CITY – The representative of the second district in Southern Leyte province is optimistic about the approval of the proposed bill for the creation of a Department of Health (DOH) supervised hospital in his area.
House Bill 2715 aims to convert the Sogod District Hospital in Sogod town into a Level II General Hospital to be named Sogod General Hospital. The bill also proposes increasing its bed capacity from 25 to 150 within a five-year period after its enactment into law.
Congressman Christopherson Yap, who authored the bill alongside House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and Tingog Partylist Representatives Yedda Marie Romualdez and Jude Acidre, shared that it was filed on July 28, 2022, and was finally approved by the Committee on Health on May 17, 2023.
“We are very appreciative to them for their assistance in filing this bill. Their support is crucial for the passage of this proposed law,” Yap expressed.
Yap elaborated that having a DOH-administered hospital in their district would benefit not only the people in the second district but also residents in the southern part of Leyte province, including the towns of Mahaplag, Abuyog, and even Baybay City.
Southern Leyte’s second district comprises municipalities such as Sogod, Libagon, Liloan, San Francisco, Pintuyan, San Ricardo, Saint Bernard, Anahawan, San Juan, Hinunangan, Hinundayan, and Silago.
These towns are located two to three hours away from the Eastern Visayas Medical Center, the region’s end-referral hospital located in Tacloban City.
“Having a DOH-supervised hospital will enable us to access medicines and health services that are typically provided by government-run medical facilities,” Yap added.
Established in 1972, Sogod District Hospital is situated along the national highway at Osmeña Street, Brgy. Zone I, Sogod town, covering patients from nearby towns of Malitbog and Tomas Oppus, Libagon, and other areas surrounding Sogod Bay.(ROEL T.AMAZONA)
