The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is now assisting in the construction of additional health COVID-19 facilities at the East Avenue Medical Center (EAMC) and 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.
To expedite the completion of the additional COVID-19 health facilities at EAMC, Undersecretary and head of DPWH Task Force to Facilitate Augmentation of Local and National Healthcare Facilities Emil K. Sadain met on July 17 the technical staff of OIC Medical Center chief Dr. Alfonso G. Nuñez III and project contractor E. M Cuerpo Construction to immediately thresh out the issues hounding the project.
"The DPWH Task Force will make further review on 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," said Sadain.
With only the first and second floors operational, the DPWH said E.M. Cuerpo Construction committed anew to complete the third, fourth, and fifth floors by Aug. 15 and sixth floor by end of August.
"When fully completed, the new EAMC buiding will have a total capacity of 220 hospital beds for COVID-19 patients," said the DPWH.
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 in next week’s meeting a detailed report of the remaining works, including budget estimate, to complete the second, third, and fourth floors and two parking levels on the top floor for possible funding consideration by the Inter-Agency Task Force.
When fully completed, the DPWH said the new building at QMMC will be able to accommodate additional hospital 150 beds for the treatment COVID-19 patients.
According to DPWH, the progress of work for the expansion of the two hospitals were checked recently by Secretary and chief implementer of the national policy against COVID-19 Carlito G. Galvez Jr., Sadain, and Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega.
Medical services
With more hospitals in Metro Manila starting to max out their bed capacities, Malacañang said the public can avail of the medical services provided by other local government units (LGUs) in the National Capital Region in case facilities in their own city cannot attend to their needs.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said even though they are not living there, a person can avail of the medical services provided by an LGU in their alternative medical facilities that were set up to make up for the filled up hospitals.
"Puwede po, kasama po iyan sa katungkulan ni (Health) Undersecretary (Leopoldo) Vega sa kanyang (They can. That is part of the functions of Undersecretary Vega's) One Hospital Incident command," he said.
"Nira-rationalize niya po kung nasaan ang mga bakanteng kama, at siya po ang nagre-referee, kung saan dapat pumunta ang mga mayroong pangangailangan (He is the one rationalizing the hospital beds and telling where one should go for medical attention)," he added.
Last week, St. Luke’s Medical Center (SLMC) said its COVID-19 Intensive Care Units in Quezon City and Global City are already filled.
Admissions and treatment of non-COVID cases, including outpatient procedures, on the other hand, will still be accommodated in both branches.
Makati Medical Center (MMC) likewise announced that all its COVID-19 zones – including its ICU, regular wards, and emergency room – were already full.
Vega had earlier said that the critical care capacity for ICU beds in the country has reached the “danger zone” as the number of persons infected with COVID-19 continues to rise.