Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary and Chief Isolation Czar Mark A. Villar announced that more COVID-19 facilities are ready to meet the demands for healthcare utilization.
Secretary Villar said that the Quezon Institute at E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue, Quezon City has the facility to cater the need for isolation and treatment of patients who are moderate to critical COVID-19 case.
“Our DPWH Task Force to Facilitate Augmentation of Local and National Healthcare Facilities constructs modular health facilities at Quezon Institute with two (2) units with a total bed capacity of 44 already turned over to the Department of Health (DOH) last December 2020”, added Secretary Villar.
A routine inspection at the Quezon Institute was conducted on Thursday, January 21 by DOH Secretary Francisco T. Duque III together Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega, and DPWH Undersecretary and Task Force Head Emil K. Sadain to ensure readiness of the completed facilities in anticipation of the post-holiday surge.
Technical working group members of the DPWH Task Force namely Bureau of Construction Director Aristarco Doroy and Assistant Director Edgardo Garces were also present during the inspection.
The QI is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities to be operated by medical personnel of Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center, .
In his report to Secretary Villar, Undersecretary Sadain said that two (2) more modular units with 44 beds are expected to be completed and ready for turn-over by February 15, 2021 while a fifth unit will undergo some modification works to convert into Operating Room/Intensive Care Unit as requested by the DOH.
Other than the modular hospitals, the DPWH has built two (2) dormitories with 64 beds to house healthcare workers manning the operations at the institute.
Based on latest report to Secretary Villar by Undersecretary Sadain, of the target 720 healthcare facilities nationwide, 538 facilities with 20,300 bed capacities were completed while 182 facilities which account to 6,200 beds are for completion in the next few weeks.