CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro (PIA) -- Gov. Humerlito A. Dolor yesterday delivered his second State of the Province Address (SOPA) at Bulwagang Panlalawigan in this town.

The SOPA is an annual report of the local chief executive that highlights the accomplishments of the provincial government in the previous year containing his major plans and programs based on the current administration’s development framework.

Among the highlights of the accomplishments, Gov. Dolor reported that as of this time, the province has accumulated at total of 4,678 COVID-19 cases, of which, 96% of affected individuals have already recovered.

To address the situation during pandemic, the provincial government in 2020 added 23 doctors and 31 nurses being deployed in all government hospitals in the province and in 2021, additional 21 doctors and 34 nurses were hired to work as frontline workers in the government hospitals.

The Oriental Mindoro Provincial Hospital is now a COVID-19 Laboratory-Cartridge Based which can test up to 160 samples per day as reported by the local chief executive.

“OMPH COVID-19 Laboratory has been operationalized since June 2020 and it received 15,370 cartridges and was able to process 12,377 specimens which resulted to 2,669 positive and 9,427 negative cases,” said Gov. Dolor.

The Oriental Mindoro Central District Hospital (OMCDH) in the town of Pinamalayan was accredited as Level 1 Hospital in 2020 and now upgraded already to Laboratory Level 2, which according to Gov. Dolor is the first ever Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy.

With regard to the reports on blood donation activities, the Oriental Mindoro Blood Council (OMBC) has acquired 15,528 blood donors in 2019 up to May 2021, benefiting 7,181 individuals from the program.

In the provincial government’s program dubbed as “Handog ng Pamahalaang Panlalawigan sa mga Mindoreño” specifically for indigent patients, all patients in the government hospitals with a balance of P10,000 and below after deducting benefits from PhilHealth, shall be automatically free from paying the hospital bills.  This also complements the local government’s slogan stating “Ang Sampu Mo, Sagot ng Kapitolyo.”

Under the program of free hospitalization for indigent citizens, the provincial government has already disbursed P24,536,715.40 with 10,959 beneficiaries of the program.

The province of Oriental Mindoro has five existing government hospitals, namely: OMPH, OMCDH, Oriental Mindoro South District Hospital (OMSDH), Naujan Community Hospital (NCH) and Bulalacao Community Hospital (BCH).

Under the ‘no balance billing,’ the provincial government has allotted the amount of P299,404,757 and benefited 52,695 individuals.

Gov. Dolor said there were also medical assistance coming from the offices of Senators Kiko Pangilinan and Sonny Angara amounting to P120,638 and P1 million, respectively.

For the free ambulance service, the provincial government, through the Galing at Serbisyo para sa Mindoreño Action Center (GSMAC), 1,693 patients were benefited by the program and 273 cadaver service assistance were provided free as of May 2021.

The emergency assistance of GSMAC served at least 29,532 individuals totaling the amount spent by the government to P32,439,817.

On the ‘Resbakuna Kasangga ng Bida Program,’ the provincial government’s records revealed that as of June16, 2021, the local government received already 45,920 doses of vaccines (32,920 Sinovac and 13,000 AstraZeneca) and vaccinated 8.5% of the 127,600 target A1-A3 only.

Gov. Dolor encouraged the public to participate in the ongoing mass vaccination, saying that the vaccine is safe and effective. 

“We can resume our activities that we did before the pandemic as we go ahead to normal life.  Getting vaccinated can protect people around us,” he said.  (LTC/PIA-OrMin)