Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar has announced that the ongoing construction of additional wards and ICU at the East Avenue Medical Center (EAMC) in Quezon City is now being hastened for immediate completion.
“In a meeting, together with our team and its counterpart at the Department of Health (DOH) and the building contractor, I was assured that a system is in place to complete the EAMC facilities the soonest,” Villar said.
“These facilities will be able to accommodate additional 250 patients,” the public works chief added.
“Construction of wards at the 3rd, 4th and 5th floor will be completed by August 17 while the enhancement of 3rd floor for ICU will be completed on September 15.”
According to Undersecretary Emil Sadain, head of DPWH Task Force to Facilitate Augmentation of Local and National Healthcare Facilities, the ground floor and 2nd floor of the new EAMC building are currently operational as COVID-19 wards while construction of wards at the 3rd, 4th and 5th floor are on-going and will be completed by August 17 while the enhancement of 3rd floor for ICU will be completed on September 15.
DOH earlier tapped DPWH expertise to help expedite the construction of the facilities at EAMC to increase its bed capacity for COVID-19.
Meanwhile, the DPWH and DOH have approved the conceptual design for the proposed field modular hospital at Quezon Institute in E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue, Quezon City to further augment its capacity.
“Five modular hospitals made of fabricated components with total bed capacity of 110 will be build.”
“Five modular hospitals made of fabricated components with total bed capacity of 110 will be build and we plan on early mobilization for groundworks at the site to also fast-track this additional facility in the fight versus COVID-19,” Sadain said.
Based on the design plans prepared by the DPWH Task Force to Facilitate Augmentation of Local and National Healthcare Facilities and concurred by DOH Undersecretary Leopoldo J. Vega, each off-site modular hospital facility will be able to accomodate 22 patients with dedicated room for the donning or putting on of health care professional’s personal protective equipment (PPE) such as disposable gowns, gloves and shoe covers and area for doffing or taking off of PPEs.
The field modular hospital will also have separate nursing station, equipment laboratory, pantry, storage, medical gas line, cctv system, and elavated pathway connecting clusters.
The DOH will provide the appropriate medical electro-mechanical apparatus and operate this health isolation and treatment facilities jointly with the medical team from QI and Jose R. Reyes Memorial Memorial Medical Center.
Two offsite dormitories will be also constructed within Quezon Institute compound as temporary shelter for some 64 health workers who will be manning the hospital operations.