CALAPAN CITY – A proposal to convert Oriental Mindoro’s main public hospital into a regional medical center has stalled in the Senate due to opposition from the provincial government, a Mindoro lawmaker has revealed Sunday.

House Bill 2116, authored by Oriental Mindoro First District Representative Arnan Panaligan, seeks to place the Oriental Mindoro Provincial Hospital (OMPH) under the Department of Health (DOH) and upgrade it to serve as the MIMAROPA Regional Hospital.

The bill has passed the House of Representatives but remains pending in the Senate Committee on Health, Panaligan reported.

The provincial government has instead proposed constructing a new DOH-operated regional hospital at OMPH’s former site in Barangay Ilaya he said.

However, health and budget officials estimate this would cost nearly P1 billion pesos and take up to five years to complete.

During a recent House Appropriations Committee hearing, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa expressed preference for the DOH takeover of the existing OMPH, citing it as a more practical solution.

“Converting OMPH into a DOH-managed facility would ensure better quality healthcare services, guaranteed funding, adequate medical supplies and equipment, and proper staffing of specialist doctors and healthcare professionals,” Panaligan said in a Facebook post.

The proposed conversion would also benefit current OMPH staff through higher salaries and benefits under the national government pay scale, he added.

MIMAROPA, composed of the provinces of Occidental and Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan, is one of the few regions in the country without a DOH-operated regional hospital.

The upgrade would dramatically improve healthcare access for Mimaropa’s approximately 3.2 million residents, particularly those from low-income communities.