THE three floors of the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC), which were scheduled to open this September, are still not ready for use, based on the surprise ocular inspection of Cebu City mayor-elect Edgardo Labella on Wednesday, June 26, 2019.
“We thought all the while as promised by the outgoing administration (of Mayor Tomas Osmeña) that it will be opened by April. It was postponed to May and eventually moved to September, when the original opening was in December 2018. But the real status of the building is it cannot be finished by the end of this year,” Labella said.
The incoming chief executive said it will need an additional P1 billion to complete the 10-story edifice and another year to complete the construction.
“It takes another year, but it also needs another P1 billion to finish the entire facility. And I was shocked with the assessment of the contractor and the city engineer,” the outgoing vice mayor said.
C.E. Padilla Construction Inc. won the bidding for the first and second phases of the construction that started in 2015.
Labella said the ground floor and second floor of the present six-story structure already have rooms that only require finishing touches.
But for the third, fourth up to sixth floors of the hospital, only the walls have been done.
Labella said the target completion in 2020 should already cover all the 10 floors.
Labella said once he sits as mayor of the city on June 30, he will make this his priority.
He will ask the incoming City Council, which will be led by vice mayor-elect Michael Rama, who was instrumental in pushing for its construction, to give him the budget to complete the building.
He said the City has the money, and it is only correct that this be a priority concern for the government.
Labella said he does not want to blame anyone for the delay of the project.
“Let us stop pointing fingers. There is no time for that. But we shall take the appropriate action to finish the construction of CCMC,” the incoming mayor said.
Construction of the hospital was delayed in 2016 after outgoing Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña ordered it stopped because of the issue on the building permit.
Expenses overshoot
The P1 billion will be used to spend for the completion of the 10-story, 200-bed capacity hospital.
If this will be funded, the cost of the construction will now be P1.847 billion from the original P1.5 billion in 2014 when it was planned to be constructed.
The City Government already spent P567 million for the first phase of the project and another P283 million for the second phase or a total of P847 million. These included installation of utilities, plumbing, electrical, fire protection, mechanical, communication and structural finishes.
Temporary CCMC visited
After the surprise inspection, Labella went to the temporary CCMC housed at the Bureau of Fire Protection 7 building at N. Bacalso Ave.
There he saw the depressing situation of the patients.
“I saw the condition of our patients. My God! If you’re sick, your ailment will become worse because of the unhealthy environment. I think it’s imperative that CCMC will be finished as soon as possible and we have to find ways,” Labella said.
Labella added once the new CCMC will be completed, City residents will be assured of the P30,000 financial assistance for every patient from the City Hospitalization and Medicine Program.
The Malasakit Center program of the Duterte administration will also be set up. (VLA)