BY CHRIS V. PANGANIBAN
SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur — A bill seeking to return the management of the province-run D.O. Plaza Memorial Hospital (DOPMH) to the Department of Health (DOH) has been approved at the committee level in the House of Representatives.
House Bill No. 1383, titled “An Act Reverting to the National Government the Discharge of Basic Health Services of the Democrito O. Plaza Memorial Hospital and Appropriating Funds Therefor,” was approved during a hearing of the House Committee on Health on Wednesday.
The measure was co-authored by Reps. Adolph Edward Plaza and Alfel Bascug.
The bill proposes the renationalization of DOPMH and its return to the Department of Health for management, supervision, and control.
Located in Patin-ay, Prosperidad, DOPMH is a Level 2 government-run tertiary hospital and serves as Agusan del Sur’s primary referral center for serious and complex medical cases. Established in the 1970s and named after former governor Democrito O. Plaza, the hospital has an authorized bed capacity of 100 and is accredited by PhilHealth.
It provides inpatient and outpatient services, including general medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, trauma and emergency care, and diagnostic services such as radiology, ultrasonography and electrocardiography.
In an online interview, Plaza said the committee approval was the “first major step” toward the hospital’s renationalization, adding that the bill would next be transmitted to the Senate for deliberation.
“The first step has been done. What we need now is follow-through,” Plaza said, expressing optimism that the measure could be enacted next year.
During the committee hearing, Bascug said the provincial government has sustained DOPMH despite limited financial resources and staffing shortages, conditions he said have strained healthcare delivery in the province.
“Given all these challenges, the province does not have a single DOH-retained hospital,” Bascug said in his manifestation.
Governor Santiago Cane Jr. backed the proposal, saying the shift would allow the province to realign funds toward preventive health programs.
“Hospitals are structured for curative care — they treat disease after it has already taken hold. But public health policy must prioritize prevention,” Cane said.
He added that if DOPMH is re-nationalized, the province could redirect significant budget allocations to strengthen primary healthcare services at the municipal and city levels, including expanded access to essential medicines, improved immunization coverage and intensified anti-malnutrition programs.
According to Plaza, the province has earmarked about P389 million for the hospital’s operations this year — an amount he said could instead fund the expansion of a district hospital if the measure becomes law.
Vice Governor Patricia Anne Plaza said the Sangguniang Panlalawigan approved a total budget of P389,828,676 for DOPMH for 2026, describing it as a substantial fiscal burden that would be lifted from the province once the hospital is placed under DOH management.
If enacted, the proposed law would make DOPMH the first DOH-retained hospital in Agusan del Sur.
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