Press Release - Jinggoy pushes for upgrade, additional staff and increased bed capacity for...

Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada is pushing for the upgrading of the services and facilities of the fire-stricken Philippine General Hospital (PGH) as well as the hiring of additional staff to complement the proposed increase in bed capacity.

"As the largest government tertiary hospital in the country and the only national referral center for tertiary cases, we must ensure that PGH provides high-quality medical and healthcare services. The recent fire incidents that hit the hospital have made us realize the sorry state of PGH. Katulad ng libo-libong kababayan natin na umaasa sa serbisyo ng PGH, na karamihan ay mga indigent patients, nangangailangan na rin ang PGH ng agarang atensyon ng Kongreso at pamahalaan," Estrada said.

Under the proposed Senate Bill No. 2634, Estrada is seeking to increase PGH's current 1,500 bed capacity to 2,200 beds to accommodate more patients.

To complement this, the veteran senator is also pushing for the hiring of additional workforce, which would include doctors, nurses and support personnel, among others.

For the past decades, Estrada lamented that the country's premiere medical center has been operating beyond its capacity and dealing with overcrowding and extended patients waiting time, which he said has affected the delivery of medical services to sick people, especially the poor and marginalized.

According to data gathered by Estrada's office, the PGH serves over 600,000 patients annually.

To address these challenges, Estrada said existing healthcare services and facilities should align with the proposed bed capacity increase.

"Investing in people's health is important in order to provide ordinary Filipinos greater access to world-class and affordable tertiary hospital care," said Estrada.

Also under SBN 2634, the lawmaker proposed to include the necessary amount for the implementation of the measure in the annual national budget,

He likewise said that the additional new positions to be created shall be determined by the PGH director in coordination with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Civil Service Commission (CSC).

Upgrade ng PGH, itinutulak ni Jinggoy

ISINUSULONG ni Senador Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada