New CCMC plan costs lesser

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City government may spend lesser than what was projected in rebuilding the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC).

In a presentation before the City Council yesterday, Architect Nikko Espina said his design for the main hospital and consolidated government offices will cost only P1 billion. This amount will reportedly cover the cost to demolish the old hospital building, the construction of a new five-story CCMC and integrated buildings, and contingency projects.

The city earlier projected the reconstruction at P1.5 billion.

Espina's design pegs P600 million to build the new hospital and the "one stop service center" that will integrate the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom), CCMC school of nursing, Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS), the city government's command center, and the Local Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, among others.

Meanwhile, close to P100 million will be utilized for the temporary BFP and CCMC school of nursing building, and the demolition of the old CCMC, and for rehabilitation and installation of drainage.

However, the presented amounts exclude the budget for equipment and facilities.

Espina said the construction of the buildings and the realignment of Panganiban road would take at least four years to finish.

He said if construction would start this month, the two buildings will be completed by the end of  2017.

The road realignment will take three months while the demolition of the old CCMC and installation of drainage will take about a year.

The new CCMC building's ground floor placement will be occupied by revenue generating offices, the emergency room, the out-patient department, lavatories, dialysis and diagnosis rooms and dietary department.

The second floor will house the surgical Intensive Care Units (ICUs), CT scan, doctor's clinic (dental, aesthetic, ENT), operating room, doctor's lounge, delivery and laboratory rooms, ICU rooms, budgeting and finance offices.

The third to fifth floors will be utilized as private rooms and wards. There will be 34 beds (private) and at least 80-beds (ward), and 12-bed emergency units and corresponding nurses stations.

A chapel will also be built on top of the dietary center.

"Nindot, but if we can have a building less than a billion, kana more than nindot," said Mayor Michael Rama.

The five-storey CCMC building to be constructed on a 4,000 square-meter at its current location along N. Bacalso Avenue and Panganiban street.

Dr. Shawn Espina, a general surgeon and lead convenor of CCMC's Championing the Advancement, Restoration, and Establishment (Care) movement, said it is advantageous that the hospital will be constructed on the same site because the location is accessible, has commercial traffic, and near available utilities.

"We have to think wisely how we rebuild (CCMC) considering that the hospital is one of the most important hospitals in Cebu," Espina said.

Councilor Mary Ann Delos Santos who Rama has assigned to oversee matters involving the CCMC said the plans and designs are in accordance with the "guidelines in the planning and design of a hospital and other health facilities" as promulgated by the Department of Health.

"All taking into consideration environment, occupancy, safety, security, patient movement, lighting, ventilation, auditory, sanitation, housekeeping, maintenance, material specification, segregation, fire protection, sinage, parking, zoning, function and spaces or adequate area," Delos Santos said in a  privilege speech yesterday.

"It is my fervent hope that towards the end of the day, we shall come to the inspiring resolve that indeed, the rebirth of CCMC is imperative and that it should be done soonest," he added.

Last year, a proposal was hatched to build a new hospital at the South Road Properties, but it is the DOH restricts the construction of government hospitals near bodies of water.

The hospital was declared unfit for occupation after it was damaged by the magnitude-7.2 earthquake that jolted Central Visayas last October 15, 2013. — (FREEMAN)