The spanking second-floor lobby of the new Cebu City Medical Center.
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) has officially opened the second and third floors of its new buildings to patients.
CCMC Administrator, Yvonne Cania, said that they have reached the target date for the operations, which Vice Mayor Michael Rama set today, September 18, 2021.
The two floors are already operational, Cania said, adding that they have already established transfer plans for the patients in the current temporary CCMC at the old Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) across the street.
“Dili siya madali-dali og balhin kay siempre ang uban patients nagneed og equipment. So for an example, kining ICU (intensive care unit) patients nato, iambulance man gyod ni nato pagbalhin,” said Cania.
The two new floors including the ward can accommodate at most 200 patients when the transfer is complete.
Still, the two floors are officially operational and can already function as part of the CCMC Complex.
Vice Mayor Michael Rama said the city government’s vision does not stop with the opening of the two floors as they are determined to open all ten floors in the coming years.
“We want a poor man’s hospital, para sa pobre, but world-class in quality,” he said.
Just like the rest of CCMC, the services in the hospital will end up free as they consolidate all assistance from the hospital’s own budget to the City Hospitalization and Medicines Program (CHAMP).
“If naa man ganiy bayran ang pasyente, gamay nalang kaayo,” said Cania.
Yet more funds are coming to CCMC as the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) promised to install a Malasakit Center in the newly constructed hospital building.
PCSO General Manager Royina Garma said during the grand opening that they plan to open a Malasakit Center so that poor people can easily access all institutions that can pay for their healthcare.
“May nakita tayong space, yung social services office, magtayo tayo ng Malasakit Center,” she said.
The PCSO mulls an initial budget of P100,000 per day for the Malasakit Center for the underprivileged patients.
Garma promised that this will be realized soon. /rcg
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