[ manilastandardtoday.com ] February 15, 2009
The construction of the P556-million Quezon City General Hospital kicks off this month, according to Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr.
Belmonte told the media that civil works would begin after the signing of the contract with Hilmarc’s Construction Corp.
“We did not borrow a single centavo from anyone. We never asked or received money from others. We used the city’s own money from our accumulated savings. We are a self-supporting government,” he told reporters.
“No, we are not charging additional fees,” Belmonte said, denying any need for higher hospital service rates to recover construction costs.
The contractors, he said, have been given 24 months to complete the project but Hilmarc president Efren Canlas vowed to deliver earlier.
“We will begin our work 10 days from now, and end the project ahead of time, or in just 15 months. We are likely to have a soft opening in April, or a month before the May 2010 elections,” he told Standard Today.
Belmonte is on his final stretch as a three-term mayor, with no re-election.
The five-story city-owned general hospital will occupy 1.2 hectares of the 3.2-hectare compound in Barangay Bahay Toro, Project 8.
The project covers the opening of a diversion road to the facility to smoothen traffic in the vicinity.
As planned, the hospital boasts at least 250 beds, a modern sewage treatment plant, eight-bed operating room, a 26-bed intensive care unit, and other state-of-the-art amenities.
Belmonte said the old building would stay for administrative services.
Dr. Edgardo Salud, QCGH director, said the hospital management and city planners had pushed for a 350-bed capacity to accommodate more indigent patients.
“But the Department of Health disapproved our proposal,” he said.
Belmonte said the thrust was toward primary health-care to lower the high incidence of sickness, and promote family health and nutrition programs for the poor residents.
The hospital will be acquiring new equipment such as CT scan and magnetic resonance imaging. Rio N. Araja
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