Facing the challenge to at least break even with operational expenses amid the mandate to deliver quality yet affordable health services to the people, the ten devolved government hospitals in Bohol have to catch up with economic strategies to sustain. And, the monitoring count-down starts at the opening of 2008. Anchored on the issue of low occupancy rate, the Committee on Appropriations of the Provincial Board Member raised the pressure on primary hospitals to justify with performance, the millions of pesos that the province spends every year for their maintenance and personnel services. Lest a devolved government primary hospital (those with ten-bed capacity) fails to become an asset in this aspect, the provincial government will be forced to shut it down and merge its workforce and functions with other hospitals, for it to be viable and economically self-sustaining.

The PB Committee on Appropriations found that primary hospitals impose low occupancy rate, while the secondary hospitals (those with capacity of 25 beds or more) showed good performance, so far, in the past months. During the marathon budget hearings of the ten devolved hospitals, the Provincial Health Office and the Provincial Engineer's Office (PEO) on December 27, PB Member Aster Piollo came up with the suggestion to shut down non-performing hospitals and merge their personnel and other functions with other hospitals, citing economic reasons. Vice-Governor Julius Caesar Herrera, who presided the budget hearings being the SP Committee on Appropriations chair, pointed out that hospitals should live within their means considering the limited resources the province can provide. Also joining the budget deliberations were the committee vice-chairperson, PB Member Amalia Tirol; and the committee members, PB Members Jose Veloso and Ester Corazon Galbreath; and PB Members Cesar Tomas Lopez and Alfonso Damalerio II and Sangguniang Kabataan Federated president Jane Censoria Cajes.

Provincial Administrator Tomas Abapo Jr., the chairman of the Local Finance Committee; and LFC members, Provincial Legal Officer Handel Lagunay, Provincial Accountant Joseth Celocia, Provincial Budget Officer Valeria Orig, Provincial Treasurer Eustaquio Socorin and Provincial Financial Consultant Primitiva Ontong and the hospitals' chiefs and representatives also attended the budget hearings. Closing down non-performing hospitals is also likely to be considered part of the on-going study of the “re-engineering plan” of the provincial government. In the possibility, the manpower of the Pres. Carlos P. Garcia (Pitogo) Municipal Hospital (PCPGMH) in barangay Pitogo, for instance, will be merged with the manpower of the Garcia Provincial Memorial Hospital (GPMH) in Talibon town.

Primary hospitals are PCPGMH in the municipality of Pres. Carlos P. Garcia , Francisco Dagohoy Memorial Hospital in Inabanga, Candijay Community Hospital , Maribojoc Community Hospital , and Clarin Community Hospital. Secondary hospitals are GPMH of Talibon, Cong Simeon Toribio Memorial in Carmen, Cong. Teodoro Galagar Memorial; Cong. Natalio Memorial; and Catigbian District Hospital . The provincial government is subsidizing the ten hospitals every year since they were devolved from the national government based on the Local Government Code.

For 2008 operations, the combined budget for health services, including PHO, amounted to a whooping P207,844,434 or 23 percent of the provincial government's total budget of P886,663,537. The allocation includes personnel services, maintenance and other operating expenses and capital outlay. The biggest chunk in the amount of P50,798,232 is allocated for PHO, followed by Talibon Provincial Hospital with P33,506,701. Candijay Community Hospital got the smallest with P5,696,339. Carmen hospital will have P22,813,609; Jagna hospital, P16,605,670; Loon hospital, P15,859,961; Catigbian hospital, P12,488,602; Inabanga, P8,381,283; Pres. Garcia, P6,685,282; Clarin, P6,240,839; and Maribojoc, P5,954,347.(RVO)