TACLOBAN CITY – After it was damaged during the onslaught of supertyphoon Yolanda, the dietary building at the Leyte Provincial Hospital (LPH) is now being utilized. The construction of the dietary building at the LPH in the amount of P7 million was by virtue of its getting the Seal of Good Housekeeping under the Department of the Interior and Local Government(DILG)’s PCF.

The PCF, whose sourced was from the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program, is a financial incentive awarded to qualified local government units to jumpstart their development initiatives aligned with the national government’s programs for the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals, tourism and local economic development, disaster risk reduction and management and solid waste management.

The provincial government of Leyte received the Seal of Good Housekeeping in 2011 wherein it identified the construction of a dietary building at the LPH. The construction of the facility was finished on October 2013 but was later destroyed when Yolanda pummeled Leyte on November 8, 2013. But it was repaired by the members of the South Korean contingent and was turned over to the provincial government.  The completed dietary building now serves as a place for preparation of daily food requirements for the patients in the hospital, wash area, sanitized garbage disposal area, and including the storage space of utensils, food provisions and other kitchen supplies.

Presently, it provides space for the dining area of hospital doctors, medical staff, guests, patients’ visitors. Hospital staff and nutritionists of the LPH are thankful that a clean and spacious building is now available for use to ensure safety and cleanliness of food prepared for their patients. The facility is also an infrastructure requirement towards accreditation of the hospital with the Department of Health. (AHLETTE C.REYES)