Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary and Chief Isolation Czar Mark A. Villar on Tuesday, October 5, 2021 inspected the on-going mega hospital project for Covid-19 patients in Mandaluyong City on his last day as head of the agency.
Secretary Villar together with Undersecretary Emil K. Sadain checked the progress of work for the construction of mega hospital inside the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) which can cater to severe COVID-19 cases in the National Capital Region and neighboring provinces from Calabarzon and Central Luzon.
The inspection at the ongoing mega hospital project by DPWH Head and Chief Isolation Czar is the last project visit of Secretary Villar as he stepped down from his post which he held for over five years.
“This will be my last project inspection and I want to make sure that this facility will bring relief to hospitals in Metro Manila, including Southern and Northern Tagalog very soon, with more than a hundred capacity,” said Secretary Villar.
The mega hospital facility will have total bed capacity of 132 and target for turnover to the Department of Health (DOH) by end of October 2021.
With the completion of additional hospital facility, we will be able to accommodate more severe cases of COVID-19, and ease burden from healthcare workers, added Secretary Villar.
Undersecretary Sadain, head of DPWH Task Force to Facilitate Augmentation of Local/National Health Facility, reported that four (4) out of the six (6) modular hospital units each with 22 rooms are already completed while the two (2) other units are being fast-tracked for completion towards end of this month.
Other than the mega hospital facility, DPWH has earlier completed two (2) cluster units of off-site dormitories for medical frontliners each with 24 fully airconditioned rooms and double decker beds with toilet and bath to accomodate 96 people, Undersecretary Sadain added.
Secretary Villar and Undersecretary Sadain are also joined in the inspection by NCMH Medical Center Chief Dr. Noel V. Reyes; DPWH NCR Director Eric Ayapana and Bureau of Construction Director Aristarco Doroy of the DPWH Task Force; project contractors Al Tengco of Nationstar Development Corporation and Erwin Torrefiel of Technoshine Trading International; and Assistant District Engineer Lamberto De Leon, Planning Section Chief Elino Castro, and Construction Section Chief Eduardo Del Rosario of DPWH Metro Manila 1st District Engineering Office.