The vision of the administration of Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama to build a new Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) is worth supporting even if some quarters don’t agree with how he will go about achieving this.
The finer details of the proposed hospital design presented to the Cebu City Council ad hoc committee may not grab the public’s attention as easily as the final bill of the project which is estimated to reach P1.4 billion.
Before city residents collectively cough and (possibly) choke on their morning coffee as they read about the project in the paper, keep in mind that Rama and supporters have raised at least P13 million from donors and peso coins deposited in plastic water jugs displayed in front of Cebu City Hall and the old CCMC site.
The design cost made us wonder about the proposal of former mayor Tomas Osmeña who said that if his opinion were asked, he would have instead ordered the retrofitting and rehabilitation of the old CCMC that was severely damaged by the Oct. 15 earthquake last year.
The former mayor also wanted to devolve most of the hospital’s outpatient services to barangay health centers.
He was even pushing to privatize the CCMC which Rama, his former vice mayor, objected to strongly because the city needs a public hospital that opens its doors to indigent patients as their main clientele.
Debating on whose scenario is correct is water under the bridge. Mayor Rama is clearly gung-ho about this hospital project which, while ideal, appears daunting finance-wise.
Even if Rama wins his 2016 reelection bid, it would take a lot more funds to realize that P1.4 billion target.
The hospital would need national government funding , Rama’s first preference. This option, however, is not a likely one to materialize for a mayor who is outside the kulambo of the national party in power.
With substantial private sector funding infused in the city hospital project, Rama has to be clear about how the share of private and public contributions will affect day-to-day operations of the hospital – unless he considers the contributions gratis. Who will call the shots in the new hospital, a private entity or the government?
We hope every centavo that goes into the project is fully accounted for and the management terms transparent. In the end everyone would benefit from a better, more durable Cebu City hospital.
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