A provincial official on Friday assured that the construction of the P80-million hospital in Loon will proceed as planned following a delay in the implementation of the project due to lack of permit.

According to Dr. Yul Lopez, provincial executive assistant on health, a fund has already been allocated for the facility’s construction which is projected to be completed within a year.

The multi-million contract of the project was also recently awarded to Manila-based firm Medico Tech which is known for other hospital construction projects in various areas in the country.

Lopez said that the two-story octagon-shaped structure will have a capacity of 100 beds and will house facilities and rooms for OB-Gyne surgery and pediatrics, among others.

The facility will be built in Barangay Canhangdon, Loon as a replacement of the 25-bed district hospital in the town which was badly damaged by the 7.3-magnitude quake that hit Bohol in 2013, Lopez added.

Once completed, the hospital will particularly cater to patients in Loon and neighboring towns Antequera, Maribojoc, Calape and Tubigon.

The hospital project was previously put on hold due to the refusal of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR ) to allow the construction at the original site.

Both the DENR and MGB did not issue clearances for the construction as the initially chosen area was unsafe for holding a large structure such as the hospital. (Allen Doydora)