LINGAYEN, Pangasinan, Philippines — Health care services are a priority of the provincial government, Capitol officials said Tuesday as they cited ongoing repairs and rehabilitation of hospitals in Pangasinan and the continuing acquisition of modern medical equipment.

“Repair and rehabilitation (of medical facilities) got the most attention (from the Capitol) and Governor Amado Espino Jr. has given sufficient priority for the improvement of hospitals,” said Provincial Administrator Raffy Baraan.

Baraan said that in 2007 when most hospitals in the province were in an advanced state of dilapidation, a program to rehabilitate them were already set in place.

Baraan said these health care improvements have long been pursued for the people of Pangasinan, reason for which the provincial government was cited as 2010 Regional LGU (local government unit) Champion in the category of “Best Practices for Hospital Management.”

“In fact, patients wanting to be admitted in provincial hospitals have tripled. While there is only a 150-patient capacity in hospitals, patients number 486 a day,” said Baraan, illustrating how the public trusts current hospital services.

The Provincial Administrator sought to defend the state of hospitals and medical services in Pangasinan in light of a 2010 Commission on Audit (CoA) report which was released recently, suggesting that public hospitals in this province suffer from a lack in medical equipment to diagnose patients.

Baraan said Espino assured that improved health care is a priority of his administration and that even when hospitals are undergoing rehabilitation, there is no neglecting the current needs of the public for medical attention.

This was the statement issued by the provincial government after it was reported in a national dailies that "If You are sick, Dont go to Pangasinan hospital" (due to lack of enough medical equipment to diagnose and treat sick patients where Co A report 2010 was quoted.