CCMC demolition within this month

CEBU, Philippines - Demolition of the condemned Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) will push through this month, according to City Council Minority Floor Leader Mary Ann delos Santos.

“We are determined to hit that (demolition) and we don’t want to blink on that one,” delos Santos told reporters yesterday.

Mayor Michael Rama had earlier assigned her to oversee matters involving the CCMC.

“There are just little technicalities that have to be addressed. We want to make sure once we pass it (demolition) in the next session everything will be in order. Amo ng gipadali (We are prioritizing that),” delos Santos said.

Early this month, Architect Miko Espina, CCMC ad hoc committee member, said during a presentation of the new city hospital and the integrated command center site development plan that demolition of the old CCMC and drainage installation would take about a year.

He further said everything, including construction of the new structure and realignment of Panganiban St., would take at least four years to finish, so that the buildings are projected to be completed by end of 2017.

During its regular session yesterday, the City Council decided to tackle the CCMC plan and the terms and reference instead of approving the proposed site development plan, which was already deferred last Jan.22.

OIC City Engineer Jose Marie Poblete would present the site development plan and other technical aspects on the construction of the command center and the new hospital in next’s week’s public hearing.

As to the demolition of the old structure, Delos Santos said all pertinent requirements, like a public hearing in Barangay Pahina Central, preliminary approval and location clearance from the City Zoning Board, and Office of the Building Official approval, are already almost complete.

City Attorney Jerone Castillo was tasked to follow up the Commission on Audit approval of the demolition.

“These are the things we are expediting” delos Santos said. 

According to the plan the new CCMC building’s ground floor would be occupied by revenue generating offices, the emergency room, the out-patient department, lavatories, dialysis and diagnosis rooms, and the dietary department.

The second floor would have the surgical Intensive Care Units, CT scan, doctor’s clinic (dental, aesthetic, ENT), operating room, doctor’s lounge, delivery and laboratory rooms, ICU rooms, budgeting and finance offices.

The third to fifth floors would be utilized as private rooms and wards. There would be 34 private beds and at least 80 ward beds, 12-bed emergency units, and corresponding nurses stations. A chapel would also be built on top of the dietary center.

The new five-storey CCMC building would be constructed on the 4,000 square-meter lot where the old structure sits at the corner of N. Bacalso Avenue and Panganiban St.

Delos Santos said that architect Espina and Dr. Shawn Espina, a surgeon and lead convenor of CCMC’s Championing the Advancement, Restoration and Establishment (CARE) movement, gave their services in preparing the plans for free. “

Meanwhile, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) said it would help the City Government in assessing the city-run hospital.

“They will be coming here in groups together with nurses, technical engineers for the group to decide whether they would help us in grant form or a loan form,” delos Santos said.—/RHM (FREEMAN)