ORMOC CITY—Bidding for the city hospital project here will start immediately following the grant of a permit to construct by the Department of Health (DOH) last week, according to Mayor Eric C. Codilla who wants to begin actual construction in March. 

The project’s first phase will cost P46 million.

The proposed hospital will occupy 2,000 square meters in a one-hectare plot in Barangay Simangan, 4 kms. from downtown, where the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) holds office. The DAR will be relocated to the public market. The two-story building will house 10 private rooms, 16 wards, three operating rooms, an X-ray room and a diagnostic laboratory.

Its basement will accommodate the laundry room, morgue and service area. Although a government facility, Codilla wants the structure to be comparable to private-run medical institutions with full air conditioning and granite flooring, similar to what he did to the new City Hall building.

Phase I will take 240 calendar days to construct but Codilla wants the succeeding phases bid out early so as not to stop the work progress and ensure its year-end opening. Other facilities for bidding are the building’s exterior aluminum cladding finish, elevator and furniture and fixtures.

Codilla said the full cost of the project may run up to P80 million including the basic equipment. Eventually, he wants the city hospital to be equipped with high-end equipment like magnetic resonance imaging and computerized axial tomography.

The mayor allayed concerns the facility will entertain only Ormocanon constituents, saying implementing rules and regulations being prepared on the hospital’s operation will ensure it will receive patients from all over the country. 

Operating cost of the hospital could reach P50-80 million annually, he said. To recover the amount, the hospital will charge minimal fees to poor clients and will fully charge patients who can afford the services. Patients who could not pay the services will be required to secure a certificate of indigence from the City Social Welfare and Development Office.

Codilla said the hospital is required to operate for three consecutive years prior to its accreditation with the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) so it can immediately avail itself of PhilHealth payments.