The city-run J.R. Borja General Hospital (JRBGH) will have a modern mental health facility after the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) launched its benefits package for mental health.

In an interview on Wednesday, Dr. Ferdinand Miranda, JRBGH chief of hospital, said the new facility will be named “Cagayan de Oro Center for Mental Health,” which is a collaboration of the city government and House of Hope Foundation.

“The center will be located in an independent building within the JRBGH compound and will have its 11 personnel, mostly in the medical profession,” Miranda said, adding that the facility will be built in the first quarter of the year.

Miranda said the temporary mental health facility at the House of Hope in Lumbia accommodates 67 patients, including those from neighboring provinces of Misamis Oriental and Camiguin.

The city government plans to convert the new center into a specialized mental health hospital, the second of its kind after the Mindanao Mental Hospital in Davao City.

Meanwhile, Merlynn Ybañez, information officer of Philhealth-Region 10 (Northern Mindanao) said the agency will begin accrediting health facilities that will cater to the mental health package.

PhilHealth is mandated to provide and improve service coverage to all Filipinos regardless of socioeconomic status under Republic Act No. 11036, also known as the Mental Health Act, which governs the compulsory treatment of people with mental disorders.

In a statement, PhilHealth president and chief executive officer Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. said they will implement a progressive mental health package, providing benefits to members, as well as their dependents. (PNA)