R1MC 11-storey building breaks ground
GROUNDBREAKING for the P1.6-billion 11-storey building at the Region 1 Medical Center (R1MC) was held June 25, coinciding with the 115th anniversary celebration of the Department of Health (DOH).
DOH Assistant Secretary Elmer Punzalan led the rites with Fourth District Rep. Gina de Venecia, her husband former Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., Dagupan City Mayor-elect Belen Fernandez and Dr. Roland Mejia, R1MC director.
Punzalan said the world-class facility is the biggest of the buildings which will be constructed in different hospitals around the country under the Universal Health Program of President Benigno Aquino III, all simultaneously broke ground.
Rep. De Venecia hailed the project, which will be the tallest building in Northern Luzon when completed, expressing hope it will eventually help spark the economy of Pangasinan, especially Dagupan City where it is located.
R1MC currently has a 300-bed capacity and this will be expanded to 600 beds by virtue of a bill sponsored by De Venecia and recently approved by both houses of Congress.
When completed, the new building can accommodate 1,500 beds, making R1MC the biggest and most modern public hospital north of Manila.
CONSTRUCTION
Construction of the 11-storey building, said Dr. Mejia, will start within three months after two wards within R1MC are demolished to make way for the new structure .
An initial P392 million was made available by DOH for the first phase of the project with another P10 million for relocating the two wards.
At 11 floors, the whole structure will have a working area of 33,000 square meters.
The building’s rooftop will have a helipad for an Air Ambulance set to be organized by DOH in the future.
To be built in two and a half years, the 11-story project comprises just the east tower, with a planned west tower consisting of eight floors.
EARTHQUAKE PROOF
Dr. Mejia allayed fears that the structure might sink as the soil texture of Dagupan is liquefaction-prone, explaining that structural engineers of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) as well as architects of the DOH evaluated the project site and found that the liquefaction in the city is only in the surface of the soil.
Mejia added that the building is designed to be earthquake-proof and can withstand a 7.9 magnitude quake since the pile drive will be made 100 feet below the ground to ensure that the foundation of the 11-storey building is strong and stable for it to withstand any type of disasters, particularly earthquake.
He described the hospital building as a “landmark project” that will provide world-class services to the poor.
De Venecia was informed that P990 million worth of modern equipment will be brought to R1MC once the 11-storey building is completed.
“All modern equipment that one can see in modern hospitals in Manila will soon be made available here,” said Mejia.
De Venecia proposed the creation of one-stop shop at R1MC that will cater exclusively to indigents and at minimal costs.
As a level 3 tertiary hospital, R1MC is already an accredited organ transplant hospital and soon to become a lung and heart hospital. – with report from Johanne R. Macob
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