MANILA - Apex hospitals would soon be established in every region across the country to strengthen the Philippine health delivery system as a bill proposing such hurdled second reading at the House of Representatives. During Tuesday's plenary session, the chamber passed House Bill 10650, which provides for the conversion of regional hospitals, which are general hospitals that have at least 500 beds, to operate as apex hospitals. An apex hospital is defined in the bill as an end-referral hospital offering specialized services and is contracted as a stand-alone facility by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation. The bill provides for the minimum physical facilities, equipment and instruments, and service delivery requirements for all apex hospitals. All apex hospitals, at the minimum, shall have an ambulatory surgical clinic, anatomic and clinical laboratory, blood station, dialysis facility, general intensive care unit, high risk pregnancy unit, isolation facilities, neonatal i