Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar has announced that his agency is now assisting the construction of additional health facilities at the East Avenue Medical Center (EAMC) and at the Quirino Memorial Medical Center (QMMC) both in Quezon City.
Villar said the Department of Health (DOH) and the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has requested the DPWH technical expertise to resolve the delayed completion of the two DOH hospital building projects.
The progress of work for the expansion of the two hospitals was checked recently by Secretary and chief implementer of the national policy against COVID-19 Carlito Galvez Jr., Undersecretary, and head of DPWH Task Force to Facilitate Augmentation of Local and National Healthcare Facilities Emil Sadain, and Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega.
To expedite completion of the additional COVID-19 health facilities at EAMC, Sadain recently met the technical staff of OIC Medical Center Chief Dr. Alfonso Nuñez III and project contractor E. M Cuerpo Construction and immediately thresh out project issues.
Also present in that meeting are members of the DPWH Task Force namely Bureau of Design Director Aristarco Doroy and Bureau of Construction Assistant Director Edgardo Garces, and DPWH National Capital Region Director Ador Canlas.
“The DPWH Task Force will make a further review of the plans and programs of the hospital building so we can come up with a catch-up scheme.”
The DPWH Task Force will make a further review of the plans and programs of the hospital building so we can come up with a catch-up scheme that will accelerate the completion of the much-needed medical facilities at EAMC, the public works official said.
With only the 1st and 2nd floors operational, E.M. Cuerpo Construction committed anew to complete the 3rd, 4th and 5th floors by August 15 and 6th floor by the end of August.
“Insufficiency of available project funds was the reason why only the first floor of the QMMC hospital building project was completed.”
When fully completed, the new EAMC building will have a total capacity of 220 hospital beds for COVID-19 patients.
On the other hand, QMMC Chief Dr. Evelyn Victoria Reside revealed in the same meeting with DPWH that insufficiency of available project funds was the reason why only the first floor of the QMMC hospital building project was completed by contractor NCC Barcelona Construction.
Sadain has requested the QMMC engineering management to present on the next meeting a detailed report of the remaining works including a budget estimate to complete 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors and two parking levels at the top floor for possible funding consideration by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF).
When fully completed, new building project at QMMC will be able to accommodate additional hospital 150 beds for the treatment COVID-19 patients.