LA UNION MEDICAL CENTER: AN ECONOMIC ENTERPRISE FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND DEVELOPMENT

By: Arthur S. Cortez Jr.

The renowned La Union Medical Center, 2004 Gawad Galing Pook Awardee, believes in the primacy of local governance for the promotion of sustainable development. It has pursued its mission with passion, integrity, competence, transparency, and accountability. Through the years, it has dedicated itself towards the demonstration of excellence and innovation in local governance through the eminent medical and health services it offers.  

It is a reality that medical and health services are so expensive that many Filipinos cannot afford to get sick. LUMC’s system to discourage dole out mentality enables indigent patients to pay in kind. This pioneering scheme has relieved the people of La Union from the anxiety of getting ill. Patients are categorized from A to D. Class A and B patients pay their bills. Class C patients get discounts of 25-75%. Class D patients get charity and pay in kind. The amount not paid is considered “quantified free service”. Thus, hospital charge is dependent on the patient’s capacity to pay. Since 2002, the quantified free service had amounted to P36 million.

From April 2002 to December 2003, the hospital rendered services to 77, 308 patients including those from Pangasinan and Benguet, 66% of which were charity patients, 26% were Philhealth-covered patients, and 8% were private pay patients. As of September 2004, it had served 122,100 patients, consisting of 98, 268 out-patient consultations and 23,832 hospital admissions.

Paradigm shift in the hospital’s services came after a P650-million donation from the European Union. The hospital was transformed in April 2002 into a world class 100-bed medical center with 16 air-conditioned rooms and several state-of-the-art equipments, including CT Scan unit worth P14 million, a hemodialysis unit worth P5 million, and a reagent/solution machine worth P3 million.

The Provincial Government turned the LUMC into an “Economic Enterprise for Sustainability and Development” by virtue of Executive Order No. 4 series of 2002 to operate, manage and sustain the hospital as a medical center. It formulated a private-public mix type of cost recovery and revenue enhancement program involving joint-ventures with the private sector, which invested on the CT Scan and hemodialysis units.

The medical center’s sustainability is ensured by the continuing partnership with stakeholders and the signing of Republic Act No. 9259 by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and La Union Goverrnor Victor F. Ortega, transforming it into a non-profit local government owned and controlled corporation. The LUMC manned by the vibrant Chief of Hospital Dr. Fernando Astom envisions to promote and develop a center for the delivery of quality and affordable medical and surgical care to the people of La Union in particular, and Region 1 in general. It also promotes and develops a research center for locally-based health concerns and extends medical services to the general public, to help prevent, relieve or alleviate afflictions and maladies of the people, especially the poor and less fortunate in life, without regard of race, creed or political brief.

Walking hand-in-hand with other communities who are genuinely interested and are ready to replicate LUMC’s outstanding program on health and governance, the La Union Integrated Public Health and Hospital Service Four-Year Development Plan is intended to transform the district hospitals namely, Balaoan, Bacnotan, Naguilian and Rosario District Hospitals into public-private mix type, non-stock and non-profit hospitals like that of the LUMC.

At the moment, LUMC’s innovative operations are being studied for adoption by various hospitals in the archipelago. LUMC’s passion is to help make all our communities a place where everyone can enjoy healthy lifestyle and where every citizen is treated with respect instead of patronage. LUMC is a living inspiration of innovation and excellence in local governance.