Construction of additional wards and an intensive care unit at the East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City to improve the hospital’s bed capacity for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases are expected to be completed by mid -August and September.

Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar said Wednesday that the additional wards, once completed, will be able to accommodate 250 more patients.

"In a meeting, together with our team and its counterpart at the Department of Health and the building contractor, I was assured that a system is in place to complete the East Avenue Medical Center (EAMC) facilities the soonest," Villar said.

According to Undersecretary Emil Sadain, head of DPWH task force to facilitate augmentation of local and national healthcare facilities, the ground floor and second floor of the new EAMC building are currently operational as COVID-19 wards while construction of wards at the third, fourth, and fifth floors are under way.

The additional wards are expected to be completed by Aug. 17 while the enhancement of the third floor for ICU will be finished on Sept. 15.

The Health department had earlier tapped the DPWH to help expedite the construction of the facilities at EAMC to increase its bed capacity for COVID-19.

Meanwhile, both agencies have approved the conceptual design for the proposed field modular hospital at the Quezon Institute on  E. Rodriguez Sr. Ave., Quezon City to further augment its capacity.

“Five modular hospitals made of fabricated components with a total bed capacity of 110 will be built and we plan on early mobilization for ground works at the site to also fast track this additional facility in the fight versus COVID-19," Sadain said.

Each off-site modular hospital facility will be able to accommodate 22 patients with dedicated room for the donning or putting on of healthcare workers’ personal protective equipment.

The field modular hospital will also have a separate nursing station, equipment laboratory, pantry, storage, medical gas line, closed-circuit television system, and elevated pathway connecting clusters.

The DoH will provide the appropriate medical electro-mechanical apparatus and operate these health isolation and treatment facilities jointly with the medical team from QI and Jose R. Reyes Memorial Memorial Medical Center.

Two off-site dormitories will also be constructed within the Quezon Institute compound as temporary shelter for some 64 healthcare workers who will be manning the hospital operations.