Benguet General Hospital passes assessment to become HIV treatment hub

La Trinidad, Benguet - Six medical facilities in the region now cater to individuals needing treatment for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

This is after Benguet General Hospital passed the assessment for its inclusion as one of the Department of Health’s HIV-certified treatment facilities in the country on Thursday, December 28.

BGH added up to the five health institutions in the region offering services for the treatment of said virus.

Said institutions include Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC), the Health Services Office-Baguio (HSO), Notre Dame de Chartres Hospital, Abong ti Namnama in La Paz, Abra, and the recently accredited Far North Luzon General Hospital and Training Center in Luna, Apayao.

With BGH becoming an HIV treatment hub, it will now offer HIV treatment and management for both inpatient and outpatient clients.

According to Mr. Darwin Babon, DOH-CAR HIV coordinator, the development also aids in strengthening the health system and referral network of the province of Benguet.

To recall, from January to August 2023, the Department of Health-Cordillera noted 99 cases. The majority of the cases were sexually transmitted.

In the same period, seven had already succumbed to the virus.

To combat the rising number of HIV cases in the region, DOH Cordillera plans to increase demand-generation activities for HIV combination prevention strategies, train and capacitate more HIV counselors, peer educators, and community mobilizers, and collaborate with HIV community-based organizations in 2024.