‘LCGH on verge of bankruptcy’

By Dominic B. dela Cruz (Staff Reporter)

Laoag City—The city government here is appealing to all health professionals who are bona fide residents or trace their roots in this city from here and abroad to lend their expertise pro bono in transforming the Laoag City General Hospital (LCGH) from a health institution on the verge of bankruptcy to a truly earning economic enterprise.

In their regular session, the Sangguniang Panlungsod unanimously approved a measure sponsored by the committee on health appealing to all health professionals to elevate the present economic status of the city hospital.

Laoag councilor Jaybee Baquiran, who sponsored the measure, said the present administration was shocked to discover the hospital’s present condition.

The 10-year-old city hospital was earlier announced as “a noble and economically feasible” as it was declared to be an economic enterprise.

Mr. Baquiran, who chairs the committee on health, explained the present administration discovered and revealed the “harsh realities for the people of Laoag evidencing the sorry state of the hospital” and among which are: a third elevator that supposed to have been installed recorded as “serviceable”; a supposedly “brand new” anesthesia machine which is just standing at the operating room due to a missing ventilator which was purchased in 2012; a CT scan worth PHP75.5 million which is at present non-operational with a doubt whether it was purchased as brand new; and the medical oxygen generating machine which is supposed to supply the hospital rooms with oxygen but it is not.

Out of frustration on the hospital’s performance, Mr. Baquiran said the present administration found the need to tap true-blooded Laoagueños who are in the field of health to share their expertise in the hospital transformation from a non-earning into an income generating economic enterprise.

Laoag vice mayor and council presiding officer Vicentito M. Lazo confirmed that the hospital is “already dying”, more so if the city government will not subsidize it.

Mr. Lazo said the city hospital employees receive delayed salaries, “gapu ta economic enterprise, tay kuma kit-kitaen na, isu kuma ti usaren a pang-sweldo ken panggatang kadagitay kasapulan ta ospital”.

Records show that the city government allocated additional budget for the city hospital subsidy for this year, “ayat mi lang a mabaliwan kuma iti pinagtaray iti LCGH a saan kuma a tay kankanayon nga on the verge of bankruptcy, indak-dakel mi iti subsidy,” Mr. Lazo disclosed.

“Ket iti saan mi maawatan ket iti systema a nakangatngato met iti pinagi presyo kadagiti equipment a masapul da ken iti pinang sabotahe da didiay operations iti hemodialysis unit,” he added.

City chief of hospital Dr. Elizer Asuncion did not react on the said issue.

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