State-Run Hospitals Urged to Practice Sanitation

The Philippine department of health (DOH) will try to change the negative perception of the general public on the country’s state-run hospitals. On Tuesday, “Ospital ng Pinoy: Malinis at Mabango” (hospital of the Filipino: clean and smells good) program was spearheaded by secretary Enrique Ona.

The drive envokes hospital administrators and personnel to ensure the sanitation and cleanliness as well as improve programs and practices of their respective institutions.

The department boss exhorted all 701 government hospitals nationwide to adhere to the program. The secretary opined that three to four weeks after the program launching, a DOH compliance team would start to conduct a regular, random and spot checking evaluations.

But there will be no penalties on administrators caught red handed. Instead, the department will thresh out the weaknesses obtained and the reasons why said institutions failed to rise to the challenge.

The secretary stressed keeping the sanitation of the hospitals will only be a first step in the attempt to improve the culture and attitude of its work force. It is the tenet of the program.

The laudable first initiative of the DOH under Ona requires every nook and corner of the facilities to be clean like clock work which include driveways, wards, rooms, lavatories, hallways and corridors.

The DOH will produce “Ospital ng PiNoy” stickers, posters and tarpaulins will be mounted in these areas to remind both health personnel and patients. (Seen as an opportunity for DOH to spend money.)

State-owned hospitals pale in comparison to those privately-managed when it comes to hygiene and availability of modern medical equipments, an environment patients are made to endure and suffer. Some patients even languish on these shortcomings.

If only administrators and concerned officials can equate a pastel paint job to good service and health care, then many will change their concept about a government-run hospital.

Until then, the poor will be in constant want for good health care service delivery with friendly and courteous attitude from the staff.

Above photos, one of Bicol’s state-run hospital, the Bicol Medical Center, otherwise known before as the Camarines Sur provincial hospital in Naga city. Photos by our Tony Abalayan, Jr.

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