Mayor Pedro Acharon Jr. said the local government has already released P20 million to commence the construction a new two-storey hospital building and the upgrading of various facilities of the hospital.
"Our efforts are guided by our vision that by the year 2008, the General Santos City Hospital will be a self-sustaining medical center using quality-assured systems with well-compensated and highly motivated employees providing utmost quality service," he said.
Acharon said that being an economic enterprise, they have set strategies to increase the hospital’s income since it would now be its primary funding source for its operations.
"And more income means more budget for vital hospital requirements such as personnel, drugs and medicines, medical supplies and hospital equipment, therefore, better quality of service," he said.
Acharon said that based on the hospital's records last year, it served at least 14,300 admitted patients, which increased by 40 percent from 2006.
Aside from the new hospital building, Acharon said they have set the renovation of the intensive care unit and obstetrics-gynecology ward renovation.
He said they expect completion of the pediatric ICU and ward, hospital façade and its outpatient department within this year.
The mayor said they are also pursuing the purchase before June this year of at least P8-million worth of hospital equipment.
He said the Department of Health earlier committed to release at least P3 million to augment the city government's allocation of P5 million.
"A dialysis machine from the Department of Health is arriving within this quarter and we will try to launch our own dialysis center," he said. (Allen V. Estabillo / MindaNews)