Oro hospital breaks P100-M revenue mark

• Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cagayan-de-oro/local-news/2016/10/26/oro-hospital-breaks-p100-m-revenue-mark-505765
• Wednesday, October 26, 2016

By Pamela Jay F. Orias

THE JR Borja General Hospital recorded a total of P135 million income from January to September this year.

Dr. Ramon Nery, hospital executive officer, said Tuesday, October 25, that when they took over in July 2013, the hospital's annual income only amounted to P19 million.

In 2014, Nery said, the hospital's revenues reached P65 million and P120 million in 2015.

Revenues for this year is projected to reach more or less P200 million.

Nery said what used to be the annual income of the hospital in 2013 is now the hospital's September monthly income worth P19 million.

Nery said the highest recorded monthly recorded this year is P23 million in March.

Nery said what did the trick is the city hospital's utilization of benefits of the government-owned insurance corporation Philhealth.

The City Government could self-regenerate using revenues from health care services, in turn, revenues raised from Philhealth payments would be channeled right back to hospital through medicines and other services for the people.

When City Mayor Oscar Moreno was still governor in Misamis Oriental, Nery said Philhealth was also used to revive the seven provincial hospitals.

"Philhealth is our bread and butter. Aside ana, naa kitay kaugalinon nga City Health Insurance Office, gipaayo nato ang processing sa documents, as well as sa provision of basic services, along with programs sa national government na point of care, kanang mga pobre nga wala ma-enroll sa Philhealth, they will be enrolled automatically sa Philhealth," Nery said.

About 90 percent of the city hospital patients, he noted, are already members of the Philhealth program.

"Grabe na ang diperensya, this is the reason nganung nakasurvive ang hospital despite a previous hostile Sanggunian, diri nato gikuha ang pondo kay wala man gayud ma-increase ang atong budget mudagan lang sa P124 million-P136 million," Nery said.

"Because of Philhealth benefits nga atong na-utilize diha napalambo nato ang JR Borja and things are getting bright for this hospital kay ang sanggunian karon friendly man. So karon, we just received around P120 million nga supplemental budget," Nery added.

Nery emphasized that all services of the city hospital are free, from simple to complicated operations.

"From simple operations to complicated operations, birth services, cataract, including ortho operations and implants, libre ni tanan. It's too good to be true, mao ng lisod gyud kaayo katuohan nga muingon ta nga libre but it is true kay mao man ni atong mandate in the very first place," Nery said.

With these developments, the city hospital will be hiring 11 doctors who are graduates of Xavier University, 40 additional nurses, and 60 administrative support staff.

"The doctors will start on November 1, and this is good because we are absorbing those graduates na gikan ug pride sa atong dakbayan, instead muadto sa ilang hospital, kini na ilang hospital of choice siguro gakakita na nila ang serbisyo nga atong gihatag," Nery added.

City Councilor Ma. Lourdes Gaane, chair of the committee on health and sanitation, said the success of the city hospital is the result of teamwork of all the government agencies concerned.

Free health services is one of Moreno's eight-key programs when he ran for office.

Moreno had said he wants the city hospital to be a premier hospital in the region that would serve not only Kagay-anons but also other Mindanaoans.