Employees of the Laoag City General Hospital (LCGH) will finally received their subsistence and laundry allowance.
LCGH accountant Edgar Pascual confirmed this on Thursday, saying some PHP1.469 million is expected to be disbursed anytime this month for the employees’ allowance.
With the improved financial performance of the hospital in 2024, Pascual said more or less 80 personnel are entitled to receive the benefit for the period covering January to December 2024.
According to Pascual, this well-deserved benefit of the employees has not been received since July 2018 because the LCGH, being an economic enterprise, must generate its own funds to pay off personal services to include these additional allowances.
Financial record shows that from 2017 to 2022, the Laoag Hospital has been struggling with a net loss of more or less PHP50 million annually. But with the help of the national government and the Department of Health under the Medical Assistance for Indigent Program and Health Facilities Enhancement Program, several machines and equipment were purchased to boost the hospital’s services.
The city government also provided some PHP28-million subsidy for the hospital’s operations and a PHP20-million subsidy for medicine and medical supplies.
The LCGH also hired more doctors and extended the operation of the Outpatient Department from Mondays to Saturdays. A new CT scan and portable X-ray machine were also installed to lure more patients.
“We were able to do this because of the full support of the Laoag City Government to the LCGH under the leadership of our city mayor Michael Marcos Keon,” Pascual said.
By Leilanie Adriano
(PNA