Bataraza residents can soon avail the “zero billing” hospitalization program of the municipality of Bataraza in Palawan.

This after, mining firms, Coral Bay Nickel Corporation (CBNC) and Rio Tuba Nickel Corporation (RTNMC), a subsidiary of Nickel Asia Corp. (NAC), have put in over P12 Million hospital subsidy for Bataraza District Hospital (BDH).

Bataraza district hospital, with a 40-bed capacity, is funded by the Palawan provincial government and the Department of Health (DOH) which was operational since January 2020.

The town sees the growing demand for medical quality services in Bataraza because of its increasing population. The municipal government has allocated a total of P30-50 million budget to make free medical services for its 86, 971 populace.

Bataraza Mayor Abraham M. Ibba underscored that before the completion of the district hospital project, the town has been allocating funds to Brooke’s Point private hospitals, its neighboring municipality to cater medical needs of the town’s constituents.

The town also has been dependent on Rio Tuba Nickel Foundation, Inc. (RTNFI- Hospital) medical services which cater to patients coming from the municipalities of Bataraza, Balabac, and Rizal.

“Dati ginagawa natin ang hospital assistance sa private hospital ng Brooke’s Point pero ngayon ay mayroon na tayong sariling ospital, ililipat na natin lahat dito. Kasama rin ang RTNFI hospital ng mining companies sa paghatid ng serbsiyong medikal dito sa ating bayan maging sa ating karatig na mga bayan, ang Balabac at Rizal” he said.

The mayor lauded the support of the two mining companies for their continuous support to the Bataraza health welfare programs.

“Maswerte tayo at mayroon tayong mga kompanya tulad ng CBNC at RTNMC na laging handang tumulong sa mga programa’t proyekto ng ating pamahalaang lokal katulad nito kaya lubos kaming nagpapasalamat sa dalawang kompanya,” he said.

RTNMC ComRel Manager Bong Dela Rosa highlighted the long-time public-private partnership emanating from the town has paved the way to realizing notable community development programs.

“The public-private partnership between RTNMC, CBNC, and the municipal government is a great opportunity for Bataraza in creating notable programs such as this free hospitalization initiative, water projects, livelihoods, training centers, educational programs among others,” said Dela Rosa

The P12 Million hospital subsidy came from the mining companies’ combined Social Development and Program, a mechanism for the implementation of development programs in the mining communities being approved, endorsed, and monitored by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), a bracket agency of Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

The town’s growing population and the increasing number of job opportunities have to be balanced to prioritizing the health welfare of Bataraza.