The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is looking to conduct a clean up and structural assessment at Philippine General Hospital (PGH) starting Tuesday, May 18, or as soon as the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) gives the green light for it.
Mapping damage to the structure will immediately be carried out once the BFP gives the PGH management the go signal to clear the areas affected by the weekend fire, which hit the hospital's third floor service wing building, DPWH Secretary Mark A. Villar said Monday, May 17.
If given access by BFP and PGH by Tuesday, DPWH workers will assist the hospital management in the clean-up operations while its technical personnel will simultaneously assess the damage of the blaze.
The initial report could be completed by early next week.
Villar joined other government officials in the conduct of a visual inspection at the third floor operating room complex, particularly in the area where sterilizer machines and stocks of linen and other essential supplies were located.
Undersecretary Emil Sadain, head of the DPWH task force on building health facilities amid the pandemic, said the agency will check on the integrity of concrete structures at the state-run hospital to determine the safety level there. Should repairs be needed, the best engineering solution from an economic point of view would be chosen.
Sadain said the choice of action on how to restore the highly-affected section of walls, columns, beams, or deck slab "will be based on the more detailed assessment of the status of the structure by the DPWH composite team from National Capital Region, South Manila District Engineering Office, Bureau of Construction, Bureau of Research and Standard, and Bureau of Quality and Safety."
Although initial visual assessment of the fourth floor roofdeck shows no significant damage on the slab, drilled cores can provide a more detailed look regarding their condition, Sadain added.