Rep. Biron pushes hospital conversion bill in Senate

Iloilo 4th District Rep. Braeden John Biron asked for the speedy approval of his pet bill converting Don Jose S. Monfort Medical Center (DJSMMC) Extension Hospital in Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo into a tertiary hospital.

Biron is the author of House Bill 9074 which the House of Representatives approved in May 2021. If passed into law, the bill will also rename the hospital to Don Jose S. Monfort Medical Center.

If passed into law, the measure will appropriate funds to expand the hospital’s services and even its infrastructure.

The young lawmaker pushed for the approval of the Senate counterpart of the bill during an online hearing of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography chaired by Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go on Sept 14, 2021.

Rep. Biron said the conversion of DJSMMC is an integral part of his promise to enhance delivery of health services to the 4^th district.

DJSMMC does not only cater to emergency patients in the 4^th district but also those from the 5^th district and neighboring towns in the 2^nd and 3^rd districts. It is estimated that the hospital caters to communities with an estimated population of 1 million.

The hospital is also strategically located in Barotac Nuevo which is a convergence point of three major highways connecting northwest, southwest, and central Iloilo. It is also the nearest emergency facility to the roll on-roll off port in Dumangas town.

A 100-bed medical facility, DJSMMC accepts patients beyond its capacity apart from the fact that it lacks ample doctors and personnel who are mostly job hires or non-regular frontliners.

Rep. Biron said the lack of funding and manpower hampers the safety and efficiency of health care delivery. The lack of resources also forces some patients to go to other hospitals like in Iloilo City which is around 40 minutes away.

“There is no better time than now to upgrade our hospitals amid a global health emergency,” he added.