The 100-bed capacity Davao Occidental General Hospital (DOGH) officially opened on Thursday after the Department of Health (DOH) granted it license to operate as a Level 1 hospital.

Currently, construction of the DOGH Phase 2 building is ongoing along with the needed medical equipment to upgrade its status as a Level 3 hospital.

Vice-Governor Lorna Bautista Bandigan said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has granted a 10 percent increase in the hospital’s budget for its maintenance and other operating expenses.

Bandingan, a former Lower House member who authored the counterpart House bill creating and funding the hospital, said Friday the medical facility seeks to amplify the province’s health system by providing continuous delivery of medical services for acute and complex conditions of patients.

“This is like the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) in Davao City. Instead of going to Davao City, which is very far, they can bring their patients here,” she said, adding that the people in the province need no longer travel 201 kilometers away to reach the SPMC.

She said Senator Christopher Lawrence Go helped facilitate the construction of the hospital, together with the support of former President Rodrigo Duterte who approved the law for its creation.

“When I proposed the bill, I did not expect that it would eventually get their nod. Because of our desire, the establishment came with the help of Senator Christopher Lawrence Go,” Bandigan said.

The DOGH is the third public hospital in the Davao Region and is expected to also serve the neighboring areas of the province. (PNA)