Mayor Honey Lacuna announced that the three-storey community hospital being built in Baseco and which is expected to serve about 10,000 residents in the said area, may already become operational before the yearend.
Lacuna said that based on a report from City Engineer Armand Andres, the said hospital is nearly finished, with construction already 88 percent complete.
According to the original plan, Lacuna said that the city government targets to equip the hospital by the end of September.
She said that some changes are just being done so as to enable the said hospital to accomodate more patients, considering the huge population in Baseco.
“May sarili nang mapupuntahang ospital ang mga taga-Baseco. By October or November, baka fully-operational na ang Baseco Community Hospital,” Lacuna added.
Once operational, the said hospital will be the seventh hospital to fall under the direct supervision of the city government of Manila and in addition to the six that are already existing, namely Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center (GABMMC), the Ospital ng Tondo, Justice Abad Santos General Hospital, Ospital ng Sampaloc, Ospital ng Maynila and the Sta. Ana Hospital, located in Districts 1,2,3,4,5 and 6, respectively and all of which provide free health services to the residents.
Dr. Ted Martin, director of the GABMMC, said that the Baseco hospital will be a big help to the residents, who, currently, need to go to the GABMMC in cases of emergency, wasting precious money and time which could spell a lot of difference for the patients concerned.
“Kapag may mga nadi-disgrasya o emergency, bawat oras ay mahalaga. Makapagliligtas tayo ng mas maraming buhay kung mayroong malapit at kumpleto sa kagamitan na ospital,” Martin said.
Lacuna assured that the soon-to-rise, three-storey, fully-operational general hospital is meant to better serve the Baseco residents.
According to Andres, the features and amenities of the said 50-bed hospital will include the following: a 24/7, fully-operational emergency room with community inclusive outpatient department; digital x-ray equipment for radiology department; laboratory and central diagnostics department; centralized medical gas system with oxygen supply line; a pharmacy; isolation wards; a dietary department; male and female wards; a maternity department; pediatric ward; surgery and internal medicine department; a service elevator dedicated for patients in bed and a passenger elevator with a capacity of 11 to 14 persons in total.
