LUBAO -- The multi-million peso newly constructed Escolastica Romero District Hospital (ERDH) in this town in Pampanga is “gold standard” for government-run hospitals across the country, said Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial.
Ubial made the statement during the blessing and inauguration of ERDH on Wednesday attended by Governor Lilia Pineda, second district Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her family, Provincial Board members headed by Vice Governor Dennis Pineda, Mayor Mylyn Pineda-Cayabyab, Department of Health (DOH) Assistant Secretary Leonita Gorgolon, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth) President Hildegardes Dineros, Capitol department heads, and other local officials.
“This (ERDH) will be our model for all government hospitals nationwide,” said Ubial, adding that “the minute the patient comes in, hindi pa siya ginagamot, maganda na ang kanyang pakiramdam. Hindi pa ginagamot ang pasyente, gaganda na ang kanyang pakiramdam just being in a clean, orderly, very comfortable hospital.”
Ubial also assured Governor Pineda, Arroyo and Cayabyab that the DOH will continue to provide assistance to ERDH and other government-run hospitals in the province.
r“Ang masasabi ko lang po if the local government shows us accomplishments and great things that they have done with the assistance from the DOH, the more we will provide assistance to local governments who actually make wise use of the government resources and the allocation that we have provided,” Ubial said.
The Provincial Government has spent P65 million for the ERDH building alone that can accommodate up to a hundred patients. This excludes the facilities and other medical equipment inside the new building.
Aside from the ERDH building, a P25-million two-story building funded by the DOH was also inaugurated.
Dr. Cenon Ponce, ERDH chief of hospital, said the building will be used as a diagnostic center.
He said that aside from the building, the DOH also provided beds and a CT (computerized tomography) scan machine for the hospital.
Cayabyab said the hospital will not only be beneficial to Lubao residents but to all Kapampangans.
Arroyo, for her part, thanked the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte for the “past, present and future assistance” to ERDH.
She said the ERDH was named after her great grandmother Escolastica Romero. It was also the same hospital were former President Diosdado Macapagal was healed during his childhood.
During the inauguration, Governor Pineda asked the hospital staff to serve all Kapampangan patients admitted at ERDH with utmost dedication.
“My wish is that doctors, nurses and other hospital staff should love this hospital. Their hearts and dedication should be in this hospital,” she said.
ERDH is one of the eleven district and provincial hospitals in Pampanga run by the Provincial Government. (PIO)