CAPAS, Tarlac – Pursuant to the government objective to bring health services in every locality through its hospital expansion and equipping program, groundbreaking rites were held on April 30 for a 94-bed medical facility here.
Leading the ceremony held at the proposed site adjacent to the town hall was Sen. Lito Lapid, along with Mayor Roseller “Boots” Rodriguez, Vice Mayor Alexander Espinosa, sangguniang bayan members, TIEZA general manager Mark Lapid, and contractor Tony De Jesus of Arrowhead Construction.
Lapid said the P54-million medical facility will be constructed on an 800-square-meter in the existing Ospital Ning Capas chargeable to the funding grant from the Senate, with the initial P30 million already been downloaded by his office through the Department of Public Works and Highways.
“The people of Capas express their deep gratitude to Senator Lapid for selecting our town to benefit from his improved healthcare program, which directly benefits our constituents. Hopefully we can have this done by the end of 2024,” said the mayor.
Classified as a first-class municipality, Capas has 20 barangays.
Lapid noted that the hospital expansion is another priority project through legislative funding. “What we really need is services for healthcare…Nobody wants to get sick.”
He stressed that poor residents of Capas are the priority for the health care services to be provided in the new hospital that will be managed by the local government.
He explained the healthcare program in Capas and Tarlac province is in line with the Local Government Code’s provision that mandates local government units to provide various services for the general welfare of their constituents.
The current Ospital Ning Capas has a capacity of 60 beds and operates at a tertiary level, featuring an LGU-run Lingap care center.
With an annual budget of P90 million, it allocates only 10% of its capacity to private patients, reserving 90% for indigent ones. The hospital is staffed by 180 medical frontliners.
Upon completion, new services including a blood bank and a dialysis center will be introduced to cater to the 20 barangays of Capas. The hospital will operate at limited capacity once the construction is in full swing.
Lapid is among the seven senators up for re-election in the 2025 mid-term polls. He landed No. 1 in the 2019 senatorial elections in Tarlac.
Meanwhile, Barangay O’Donnel also received a multi-purpose truck from Lapid. The groundbreaking ceremony was also attended by congressional, provincial and barangay officials. Punto News Team/PR/Photos: Deng Pangilinan
