To provide better medical access to women and children, a PHP300 million facility will soon rise inside the compound of the Bicol Regional Hospital and Medical Center (BRHMC) in Daraga, Albay.

During a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday, Ako Bicol (AKB) Party-list Representative and House Committee of Appropriations chairperson Elizaldy Co said to be constructed is Phase 1 of Women’s Health and Child Care Specialty Center, which will be a 10-story medical care facility for the townsfolk, especially pregnant women and children.

The new facility will have a capacity of more than 120 beds.

“As a Bicolano, I have long dreamed of the Bicol Region having a hospital that will not only provide quality services but be a center of hope and healing. Here in the special center that we will build, we will have the first hospital dedicated only to the health of women and youth. Think about the value of this for mothers, children, and the whole family; they no longer have to travel far to get proper medical attention,” Co said in his message.

He said that in terms of medical care, the services should be equal for all those in need.

Dr. Alma Bella Gonzaga-Rivera, BRHMC Obstetrics, and Gynecology Department chair, thanked the AKB for including them as one of the priorities for better and improved health care.

“Thank you, Rep. Elizaldy Co, after hearing your speech, I’m convinced that this 10-story building will be completed with the complete equipment and facilities needed. Thank you so much, AKB Party-List,” she said.

“At the hospital, every year the most patients admitted are OB patients, so this is really a big help. Right now, we only fit in small areas, which is why we usually have two patients in one bed, but here in this new building, they will have their own beds. Every day, we admit 30 patients who are giving birth, not including those patients who are operated on because of a tumor in the uterus,” she said in Filipino.

In a separate interview, Dr. Eric Raborar, BRHMC director, said the 10-story building that will be constructed on a more or less 800-square-meter lot is expected to be completed in the next two years. (PNA)