DAVAO CITY — Finally, the PNP infirmary hospital clinic inside Camp Sgt Quintin M Merecido will be upgraded to a level 1 hospital with a 75-bed capacity. Police regional director Brigadier General Filmore Escobal told Newsline.ph that the national government has provided P75-million for its infrastructure development and another P200-million for hospital equipment.
“From being an infirmary clinic, it will become a level 1 hospital with 75-bed capacity for the members of the PNP, their dependents, retirees, and authorized civilians.” The upgrading is being undertaken, he said, while next year a new building will rise to complement the existing structure.
The PNP XI has also requested the Department of Budget and Management to fund the hiring of 166 health personnel “all civilians” who will be given plantilla positions in consonance with the requirement of the Civil Service Commission (CSC). Escobal said they are now awaiting the publication of said positions which will be undertaken by the CSC, after which they will start receiving applications.
“The hospital will be run by civilian health workers, no uniformed staff in order to sustain the operations,” he explained. Having uniformed personnel at the hospital is a challenge, Escobal said “Because if you have uniformed personnel at the hospital there is a tendency that they will be reassigned or they will seek for promotion, and the hospital duty will be sacrificed which will affect the sustainability of the staff and the operations”.
Having a PNP hospital, Escobal said, is a dream-come-true for PNP XI “It will help us a lot, it will help decongest government hospitals and above all, it will boost the moral fiber among PNP members”. Newsline.ph
