BIDDING for the city hospital project will start immediately following the granting of a permit to construct by the Department of Health (DOH) this week, according to Mayor Eric C. Codilla who wants to begin actual construction on March. The project’s first phase will cost P46 million.
The proposed hospital will occupy 2,000m² of more than a hectare of land in Simangan where the Department of Agrarian Reform (Dar) holds office. Dar will be relocated to the public market. The two-storey building will house 10 private rooms, 16 wards, three operating rooms, X ray room and a diagnostic laboratory.
The proposed hospital will occupy 2,000m² of more than a hectare of land in Simangan where the Department of Agrarian Reform (Dar) holds office. Dar will be relocated to the public market. The two-storey building will house 10 private rooms, 16 wards, three operating rooms, X ray room and a diagnostic laboratory.
Its basement will accommodate the laundry room, morgue and service area. Although a mere government facility, Mayor Codilla wants the structure to be comparable to private-run medical institutions with full airconditioning, granite flooring, etc., similar to what he did to the new City Hall building.
Phase I will take 240 calendar days to construct but Mayor Codilla wants the succeeding phases bid out early so as not to stop the work progress and ensure the hospital’s yearend opening. Other facilities for bidding are the building’s exterior aluminum cladding finish, elevator as well as furniture and fixtures.
Mayor Codilla estimates the full cost of the project to run up to P80 million including the basic equipment. Eventually, he wants the hospital to be equipped with high-end equipment like magnetic resonance imaging and computerized axial tomography.
Mayor Codilla allayed concerns the facility will entertain only Ormocanon constituents, saying an implementing rules and regulations being prepared on the hospital’s operation will ensure it will receive patients from all over the country as well. Operational cost of the hospital could reach P50-80 million annually.
To recover this, the hospital will charge minimal fees to poor clients and will fully charge patients who can afford the services. Those who really couldn’t pay will be required to secure a certificate of indigence from the City Social Welfare and Development Office.
Mayor Codilla will also ask Health Secretary Enrique T. Ona to exempt the city hospital from the three-year operation requirement prior to its accreditation to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) so it can immediately avail of PhilHealth payments.
Mayor Codilla is pleased with the outcome after the congressional office tried to discredit the project from DOH. As it turns out, not only is the DOH supporting the project, Ona also assured to make it a model for other small and medium-sized cities that would want to build a similar facility.
(West Leyte Weekly Express issue of Jan. 30-Feb. 5, 2012)
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