• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Department of Health (DOH) is eyeing 2028 for the funding of a mental hospital and drug treatment and rehabilitation center in Sipalay City, expanding access to specialized healthcare services in southern Negros.
DOH Undersecretary Mary Ann Maestral said the proposed project was not included in the agency’s National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2027. As a result, the department plans to include it in its project pipeline for 2028.
The twin healthcare facility, to be named the Merceditas J. Montilla Mental Hospital and Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Center, will rise on a 30,000-square-meter property donated by Negrense philanthropist Merceditas Montilla in Barangay Canturay, Sipalay City.
The DOH formally accepted the land donation on Sept. 19, during a ceremony held at Park Inn by Radisson in Bacolod City.
Maestral said the drug rehabilitation center in Sipalay will cater to women, while a separate facility for men is planned in Negros Oriental on another donated property.
Personnel for the rehabilitation center will come from the DOH national office, while the mental hospital will be operated by the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH).
The proposed institution is expected to become the first of its kind serving Negros and Siquijor, providing specialized mental health services and substance use treatment in the Negros Island Region. | GPB
