• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Merceditas J. Montilla District Hospital in Sipalay City, Negros Occidental will temporarily scale down its services beginning Nov. 1, as it prepares for the transition of hospital management to the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital.
In an advisory, it said that inpatient admissions will be suspended at the start of next month.
Patients requiring hospitalization or medical services beyond the facility’s capacity will instead be referred to appropriate healthcare facilities or hospitals.
However, the hospital’s 24/7 Emergency Room (ER) services and Outpatient Department (OPD) consultations will continue during this period.
Effective Dec. 21, ER services will also be temporarily suspended until further notice. Patients requiring emergency medical care will be advised to proceed to the nearest appropriate health facility or hospital.
During the final two weeks of operations, OPD consultations will remain available Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., except on holidays.
Hospital authorities said the temporary adjustments are necessary to facilitate the reassignment of personnel, transfer of equipment to other province-owned hospitals, and renovation of hospital infrastructure and facilities in preparation for the management transition.
The hospital appealed to the public for understanding, patience and cooperation during the transition period. | GPB
