BARAS, PALO, Leyte—The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Regional Office 8 has already commenced civil works for the phase 1 of the Mother and Child Building and the Out-Patient Building of the Samar Island Medical Center (SIMC) in Calbayog City.
DPWH RO8 has been set to implement the first phase of this project which is for the construction of two four-story buildings with a roof deck, namely the Mother and Child Building and the Out-Patient Department (OPD) Building.
The main building which will house an emergency department, a laboratory department, as well as other significant facilities and departments will then be implemented by the Department of Health Eastern Visayas Center for Health Development (EVCHD)—the lead agency of this project.
Funded under FY 2023, the said SIMC-Phase 1 has a project cost of P477.682 million which involves construction or excavation of the foundation works and structural framing of the Mother and Child and OPD Buildings; while P100 million has also been allocated for the site development of the project which is intended for the construction of road network in the entire project vicinity, including concrete-lined canal and slope protection.
Started last December 4, 2023, DPWH RO8, along with the project contractor, currently works on the site clearing operations, staking for project site boundaries as well as mobilization of tools and equipment.
DPWH 8 Regional Director Edgar B. Tabacon expressed his commitment to implement these buildings and be part of the success story of this project.
“To date, Region 8 has only one tertiary hospital which is Eastern Visayas Medical Center located in Tacloban City. It is time for us, national government agencies, to work together for the benefit of the entire Samar island,” said RD Tabacon.
For FY 2024, DPWH RO8 has received a P400 million allocation for the completion works for the Mother and Child Building, and for the continuation of the OPD Building.
With the completion of this project, over two million Samarnons will benefit from easier access to healthcare facilities, emergency and critical care services as well as all urgent medical needs.
Patients with serious illnesses from Samar will no longer need to travel for hours to receive advanced medical diagnostics and other tertiary health services such as treatments via state-of-the-art equipment and facilities.
The SIMC is envisioned to be a 300-bed capacity tertiary hospital that will soon cater to patients from the provinces of Samar, Northern Samar, and Eastern Samar.
Soon to rise on a 3.3-hectare lot owned by the Calbayog City government, the said premier Medical Center will be run and supervised by the Department of Health. (PR)
