Hospitals get 'facelifts'

STAFF and patients going to Mabalacat and Macabebe district hospitals will soon see major improvements in the buildings and other facilities of the establishments.

All of the improvements are part of the fulfillment of Governor Eddie Panlilio’s commitment for the hospitals’ full rehabilitation until 2010.

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Abenir Tungol, acting chief of the Mabalacat District Hospital (MDH), said the large-scale construction and rehabilitation of the hospital started on January 18, this year.

“It involves the construction of a whole building – six new private rooms for patients, more spacious wards, two operating rooms, a delivery room, labor room, recovery room, a neonate intensive care unit and other medical and surgical services,” Tungol said.

Tungol attributed the construction work to the initiative of Dr. Benjamin Arboleda, chief of the hospital, the Provincial Government and the Municipal Government of Mabalacat.

He said the time frame for the construction work is 180 days.

“To date, there has been 65 percent demolition of the old building and 12 percent new construction work done,” Tungol said.

He emphasized that the Provincial Engineer’s Office (PEO) conducts constant inspection and meetings with contractors to ensure that the work is done properly and according to schedule.

Tungol disclosed that while construction work on the hospital is ongoing, the medical and nursing staff are undergoing training and refresher courses in the different fields of medicine and nursing services at the Jose B. Lingad Memorial Hospital (JBLMH) “to further improve their knowledge and enhance their services to our patients.”

Meanwhile, the Macabebe District Hospital has also been undergoing construction work since January 15 this year.

“The office and storage building construction has reached 70 percent and completion is expected by the end of June this year,” chief of hospital Dr. Rodolfo Gutierrez said.

He further said that “one of the benefits expected as a result of the completion of the construction is the reclassification of our hospital from level 1 to level 2.”

Equally important, according to Gutierrez, is that the hospital “will no longer be affected by floods due to the upgrading of the new building.”

With these major works nearing completion, the chiefs and staff of hospitals, the Provincial Government and Municipal Governments concerned look forward to rendering better services to the members of the population needing medical attention. (Press Release/PIO)