₱6-B UP-PGH Cancer Center Project

MAY basbas na ng National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board ang pagtatayo ng P6-billion cancer center sa University of the Philippines (UP)-Philippine General Hospital (PGH) sa Maynila.

Ito’y matapos na pangunahan ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr., NEDA Board chair ang  3rd NEDA Board Meeting sa Palasyo ng Malakanyang, araw ng Huwebes.

“The NEDA Board gave its nod for the construction of a PHP6-billion, 300-bed capacity hospital, the administration’s first PPP (public-private partnership) project,” ayon kay Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Cheloy Garafil sa isang kalatas.

Ang wika pa ni Garafil, layon ng proyekto na magbigay ng ‘full range’ ng cancer treatments, kabilang na ang ” radio oncology (radiotherapy), imaging, medical oncology and support for the UP-PGH’s teaching at research activities.”

Ang panukalang cancer center, ay may lot area na  3,000 square meters, mtatagpuan sa loob ng  UP-PGH campus sa Maynila.

Ang buong gusali aniya ay mayroong kapasidad na  300 beds (150 charity beds para sa  UP-PGH Area at 150 private beds para sa  Private Area), 15 hanggang 20 floors, 350 parking spaces, 1,000-square-meter commercial space, at isang lugar para sa tatlong linear accelerators (LINAC) bunkers.

“The UP-PGH’s private partner will design, engineer, construct, and commission the entire new hospital building, procure, maintain, and provide for the periodic replacement of medical and non-medical equipment,” ani Garafil.

“It will also maintain all non-clinical services for the entire hospital building, operate relevant commercial activities, provide clinical services to private-paying patients in the private area and assume all associated costs of clinical manpower, drugs and consumables,”  dagdag na pahayag nito.

Sinabi pa rin ni Garafil na “UP-PGH will provide the site at no cost; transfer the existing equipment to the Cancer Institute; offer clinical services to non-paying charity patients in the UP-PGH area; assume all associated costs of clinical manpower, drugs, and consumables; and undertake clinical teaching and research.”

Ani Garafil, ang  kauna-unahang  PPP project ay bahagi ng pagsisikap ng administrasyon Marcos na i-modernize ang health infrastructure  ng bansa pagdating sa oncology services at cancer care.

“The project aims to establish UP-PGH’s dedicated cancer hospital that will modernize its health infrastructure and offer comprehensive, high-quality, and affordable oncology services towards enhancing the country’s health service quality and capacity for cancer care,” ani Garafil.

“It will be solicited from the public through the submission of a bid and will be structured as a 30-year Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) arrangement under the BOT Law,”  aniya pa rin.

Ang BOT scheme ay isang kasunduan na  nagkakaloob ng konsesyon sa isang  private partner na  tustusan, magtayo at mag-operate ng proyekto na may fixed term.

Matapos ang panahon na iyon, ang proyekto ay ibabalik sa  public entity na orihinal na pinagkalooban ng konsesyon. (Daris Jose)