WATCH: Manila begins construction of COVID-19 field hospital

Manila Mayor Isko Moreno. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The Manila City government broke ground to begin the construction of a 336-bed capacity COVID-19 field hospital at Luneta Park on Tuesday, April 20.

Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso led the groundbreaking ceremony of the mobile hospital for mild and moderate COVID-19 cases together with City Vice Mayor Ma. Shielah “Honey” Lacuna-Pangan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ilcBE9Cz7w

“We have some way of how to heed the call of the national government para ma-unclog yung ating hospital capacity at mabawasan yung mga insidenteng namamatay sa triage or tent or parking space [so we can decongest hospital capacity and reduce incidents of people dying at the tirage or tent or parking space],” Domagoso said.

“We will approach this inclusively because this is an universal problem. We cannot give up, hindi tayo susuko [we will not give up],” he added.

Also joining the local chief executive were National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 Chief Implementer Sec. Carlito Galvez Jr., NTF Against COVID-19 Deputy Chief Implementer Sec. Vivencio Dizon, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.

Also present during the ceremony were Department of Public Works and Highway Usec. Enil Sadain, Department of Health Asec. Romeo Ong M.D., and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority General Manager Jojo Garcia.

According to the Mayor, the P154 million field hospital is expected to be completed within two months.

Domagoso said that an additional 100 beds would also be in place when necessary.

“We can prepare Metro Manila for the next 5 months, in a bad situation, or not so bad, or not so good for the remaining of the year with regard to COVID bed availability for our mild and moderate so that we can help the doctors, nurses, the medical frontliners,” Domagoso said.

“We will try to equip them so that they can continue to serve with efficiency and with the help of diagnostic machineries,” Domagoso added.

The mobile hospital will have 150 medical frontliners to monitor COVID-19 patients.

The mayor added that the modular containers will feature inter-communication between patients and medical frontliners, internet connection, and will be airconditioned.

Female patients will also be separated from male patients. Oxygen tank casing will also be on standby in every modular containers.

“May awa ang Diyos, sana marami tayong masurvive. Nobody will be left behind, kaagapay niyo ang Pamahalaang Lungsod ng Maynila [God is merciful, I hope many will survive this. Nobody will be left behind, the city government of Manila will work hand in hand with you],” Domagoso said.

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