The new building of the Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital (GCGMH) in Tagbilaran City which is 95 percent finished will be unveiled and operational early 2019, hospital chief Dr. Mutya Kismet Tirol Macuno projected.
She bared this during the press conference on Grand Launching of Contracted Provider of PhilHealth’s Z Benefit for Premature and Small Newborn held at Belian Hotel here on Friday.
She issued a clarification that GCGMH in this city will not transfer to Cortes town, about 10 kms north of Tagbilaran, as reported earlier by her predecessor.
Dr. Macuno was responding to BNT’s query whether or not the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) would also be transferred once the Cortes, which refers to as GCGMH annex, will be established in some 5-hectare area.
She also explained that the Php2.2-billion project in Cortes is seen as an expansion but GCMH here remains the main medical center.
She described the hospital as GCGMH-Tagbilaran and GCGMH-Cortes, where expansion of its services will be provided as part of the health care development services. She also aptly called it “So Gallares, So Kind,” as its mantra.
She also bared that once the Senate Bill, approving/expanding it to some 525-bed capacity, is approved the implementation of the law would begin in 2020.
In Cortes, the building to be built may not be limited anymore since the Tagbilaran City airport is no longer functional following the operation of new Panglao International Airport. Hence, no limit of high rise buildings to construct that Cortes could erect some eight to ten stories high, she added.
Department of Health earlier cited GCGMH as part of the P15-billion modernization, expansion and integration of the medical centers project.
The others are located in the San Lazaro Compound; Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center; the P2-billion modernization of Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital; P1.4-billion Region 1 Medical Center; P1.5-billion Western Visayas Medical Center; the P926-million Zamboanga City Medical Center; and the P1.3-billion Bicol Regional Teaching and Training Hospital and Medical Arts Building, DOH said.
The P2.2-billion Modernization of GCGMH also under the DOH has been approved by National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) as among nine other projects worth Php171.14 billion to be finished in the next four years, GMA news reported.
“Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno previously said the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte would be the “golden age of infrastructure,” allocating P8.2 trillion for infrastructure projects in the next six years,” the report said. (rvo)