Rep. Ignacio Arroyo Jr. (Neg. Occ., 5th District) yesterday said he will seek a briefing on the state of the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City to see how he can help the cash-strapped hospital.

Arroyo was reacting to the call of Dr. Epifania Simbul, OIC chief of CLMMRH, to Negros Occidental congressmen and mayors for financial help to assist indigent patients from Negros Occidental and Bacolod City.

The hospital that has annual funds of about P80 million from the Department of Health and from income earned, actually, needs P200 million for its yearly expenses, she said.

Arroyo said he would discuss the matter with Board Member Melvin Ibañez (Neg. Occ., 5thg District) who is also chairman of the Negros Occidental Sangguniang Panlalawigan Committee on Health.

Ibañez said about 2,000 patients from the fifth district are treated annually at the CLMMRH and they will see how to assist the hospital.

Meanwhile, he said the provincial government has been upgrading its district hospitals so the regional hospital can be decongested of patients who can now go to medical facilities closer to their homes.

The newly built Ignacio Arroyo Sr. District Hospital in Isabela is catering to patients from fifth district, he said.

Among the government officials who have already allotted funds to aid the CLMMRH are Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, Senator Ramon Revilla and former Senator Franklin Drilon, Rep. Monico Puentevella (Bacolod), Rep. Genaro Alvarez (Neg. Occ., 6th District), Rep. Jose Carlos Lacson (Neg. Occ., 3rd District), Simbul said.

Partylist Representatives Renato Magtubo, Crispin Beltran, Siegfred Deduro, Teodoro Casino and Liza Maza have also assisted the hospital, she added.

The Bacolod City government also pays for the salaries of 23 nurses at the hospital. Of the hospitals patients, 55 percent come from Bacolod City.*CPG

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