OSLOB, Cebu, Philippines — Four district hospitals in Cebu province received national awards as the Provincial Board approved the upgrading of three more district hospitals to tertiary status last week.

The district hospitals in the municipalities of Oslob, Malabuyoc, Badian and Daanbantayan received the Newborn Screening Facility Achievers and Exemplary Performance National Awards from the Department of Health and the National Institute of Health in Manila.

At the same time, the PBO also passed an ordinance upgrading the district hospital in Danao City, Bogo City and in the Municipality of Balamban into a tertiary care hospital.

Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) Chief Dr. Cristina Giango, who received the awards, said the aforementioned four district hospitals have performed newborn screening on 90 percent to 100 percent of the babies born in their respective operating rooms.

However, Giango said the coverage of the newborn screening in the district hospitals should be increased as there are some mothers who refuse to avail of the program because of financial constraints.

She said if they are Philhealth members, they will not have to spend P650 for the newborn screening because they are entitled to a reimbursement.

Meanwhile, hospitals upgraded with 100 beds will no longer be called district but rather, provincial hospitals.

The Provincial Government aims to complete the construction of four 100-bed provincial hospitals before Governor Gwendolyn Garcia’s term ends in 2013 in line with her effort to reach out to indigent patients from far areas who cannot afford to travel to the city for medical treatment.

The first provincial hospital in Carcar City was inaugurated on August after years in the delay of its construction which began in December 2006 and ended in January 2009.

The Carcar District Hospital used to have 10 beds, Balamban had 25, Danao City had 50 and the Severo Verallo Memorial District Hospital in Bogo City currently has 50. Cebu Fourth District Rep. Benhur Salimbangon has a pending bill in Congress upgrading the Bogo City district hospital into one with capacity for 100 beds and appropriating funds for it.