Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Batasan Hills, Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
‘Second Regular Session

House Bill No. 740.1

Introduced by
HON. YEDDA MARIE K. ROMUALDEZ

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The bill seeks to increase the bed capacity of the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical
Center from five hundred (500) to one thousand five hundred (1,500), upgrade its
services, facilities, professional health care, increase the number of medical personnel
and to change its name to Eastern Visayas Medical Center to reflect the coming
changes.

The Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC) in Tacloban City is a
Department of Health retained Level III hospital. It is accredited by the Philippine Health
Insurance Corporation and is its leader in the no balance billing scheme to indigents in
all of Eastern Visayas.

The increase in bed capacity is aimed at bridging the current gap between hospital beds
in the region, to improve the quality of healthcare and ensure the successful realization
of the Philippine Health Agenda. Enactment of this law will reduce the hospital bed to
population ratio in the region from about 1:1,500 to approximately 1:1,000.

The hospital is currently struggling to keep up with the increasing number of patients
being admitted as its personnel complement is only good for patients half of the current
headcount. It has then resorted to hiring of personnel on job order basis to fill the gap
between plantilla positions and its actual manpower need. From July to December
2017, there were over 500 persons hired under this program. With the release of Joint
Circular No. 17 s. 2017 (CSC-DBM-COA), all these job order personnel shall be
discontinued by January 2018, leaving the hospital with severe deficiency of manpower
resources.

Increasing the bed capacity to complement the actual number of patients being served
will bring a much better service to the patients not only in terms of manpower but more
‘so in the field of medicine, upgrade of equipment and improved health services as


hospital generated resources can now be allocated to these areas other than payment
of wages for additional workers.

This expansion will also allow EVRMC to establish twelve (12) fully functional specialty
care centers at par with those in major cities in the country and elsewhere in the
ASEAN. The expansion and upgrade of the hospital's services will not only provide
better health outcomes, but will also allow free if not, low cost, and accessible health
care services especially to the vulnerable people of the region as well as the nation.

This move will position the hospital as a true medical center such that the word

“regional” would now be inaccurate and a misnomer. Thus, the proposal to change the
name to Eastern Visayas Medical Center.

REP. YEDDA i} ROMUALDEZ


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Batasan Hills, Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

House Bill No. 7401

Introduced by
HON. YEDDA MARIE K. ROMUALDEZ

AN ACT INCREASING THE BED CAPACITY OF EASTERN VISAYAS REGIONAL
MEDICAL CENTER IN TACLOBAN CITY FROM FIVE HUNDRED (500) TO ONE
THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED (1500), AUTHORIZING THE INCREASE OF ITS
MEDICAL PERSONNEL, UPGRADING ITS SERVICES, FACILITIES AND
PROFESSIONAL HEALTH CARE SERVICE AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS
THEREFOR AND RENAMING IT TO EASTERN VISAYAS MEDICAL CENTER

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in

Congress assembled:

Section 1. The authorized bed capacity of the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical
Center in Tacloban City shall be increased from five hundred (500) to one thousand five
hundred (1500).

Section 2. The Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center shall now be known as the
Eastern Visayas Medical Center (EVMC).

Section 3. The existing human resource requirement of the Eastern Visayas Medical
Center be correspondingly increased to conform with the aforementioned increase in
authorized bed capacity. The Department of Health in coordination with the Department
of Budget and Management and the Civil Service Commission shall determine and


approve the additional plantilla positions to be created and filled upon prior consultation
and recommendation by the EVMC.

Section 4. Existing service facilities and professional healthcare services are also
hereby upgraded to conform with and be commensurate to the aforementioned increase
in authorized bed capacity. The EVMC shall submit to the Department of Health its
proposed hospital development plan and the additional clinical departments and clinical
units it requires to meet the increased authorized bed capacity.

Section 5. The increase in bed capacity of EVMC shall be implemented for a period of
not more than three (3) years from of approval of this Act. During the first year, the bed
capacity shall be increased to one thousand (1000), an increase of two hundred fifty
(250) beds shall be made during the next two (2) years.

Section 6. The amount necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act shall be
included in the General Appropriations Act of the year following its enactment into law
and thereafter.

Section 7. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days following completion of its
publication in the Official Gazette and in at least two (2) newspapers of general
circulation.