The Senate today approved on third and final reading 13 local hospital bills seeking to improve the delivery of health care services by increasing the bed capacity of several hospitals across the country.

Sen. Christopher Lawrence Go said the passage of the proposed legislations into law would ensure the stability of the national health care system by making sure that hospitals will have sufficient capacity resources and personnel to respond to the pandemic.

Go, sponsor of the measures said he personally witnessed the state of public healthcare system in various regions where some hospitals are operating on a 400 percent occupancy rate.

“How will the patients get well? We need to increase the bed capacity and the time to act is now,” Go stressed.

Approved on final reading increasing their capacity resources were House Bill No. (HBN) 6972 or the Eastern Visayas Medical Center, HBN 6971 or the Gov. Benjamin Romuladez General Hospital and Schistosomiasis Center, HBN 6730 or the Mayor Hilarion A. Ramiro Sr. Medical Center, HBN 6728 or the East Avenue Medical Center, HBN 7321 or the Davao Occidental General Hospital, HBN 6850 or the Eastern Pangasinan Regional Medical and Trauma Center, HBN 6753 or the First Misamis Oriental General Hospital, HBN 6731 or the Bacolod City General Hospital, HBN 6729 or the Rosario District Hospital, HBN 6727 or the Sinait District Hospital, HBN 6498 or the Naguilian District Hospital in La Union, HBN 5870 or the Senate President Neptali A. Gonzales General Hospital, and HBN 2582 or the Rizal, Palawan Lying-In Clinic.

Hopefully, Go said, that after the bicameral committee approval, the proposed legislations would be signed into law and included in the budget for next year.

Go also thanked his colleagues for supporting the approval of the bills.