TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte, (PIA) – The outpatient department building of the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC) to be completed by February 2017 promises to improve the delivery of health services to the people of Region 8.
Health Secretary Janette Loreto-Garin emphasized this during the project launching of the OPD building held recently at brgy. Cabalawan, this city.
Garin said the presence of the OPD building is not just a symbol of the continuous assistance of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in order for the region to build back better after the havoc of typhoon Yolanda but also a symbol of how we should be moving forward.
In the said occasion, she likewise urged all health workers to be committed in serving the people particularly those who are sick to prove that the region is worth helping for.
Meanwhile, Takahiro Morita, senior JICA representative said through the EVRMC OPD, we hope to continue what JICA had been doing in the past to include the Philippines’ health care services and contribute to nation building.
The Outpatient Department Building of EVRMC is a 3-story concrete structure designed to follow the “Build Back Better” principle of the typhoon Yolanda Rehabilitation and Recovery Program of the National Government.
Approximately, it has a 5, 270 sq. meters space requirement which includes public spaces such as waiting areas and lobbies, OPD Clinics for Internal Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, OB Gyne, Family Medicine, Orthopedic, Dermatology, EENT, Opthalmology, Psychiatry, Dental, Physical Rehabilitation, Oncology, Dialysis, Public Health and Wellness and TB DOTS. It also includes OPD Administrative and Ancillary Spaces and the Attendant Building Utility System.
The design calls set for OPD includes disaster-resilient features, windows that can withstand strong winds up to 287 kph and 1.5 times earthquake resistant or degree 12 earthquake with comfortable waiting spaces and individualized clinics for better privacy.
To name a few, some of the grant aid projects of JICA that have become integral in helping improve the Philippine Health System are Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), Davao Medical Center, Vicente Sotto Medical Center, Benguet General Hospital and the National Tuberculosis Laboratory at RITM.
The OPD building has 22 months construction period. It commenced September 1, 2015 and will be completed for handover to the hospital by the end of February 2017. (ajc/cba/PIA-8)
