Tap calamity funds to fix ‘very old PGH complex,’ says Gordon

Smoke billows out of the Philippine General Hospital as fire hit it at around 1 a.m. on Sunday, May 16, 2021. (Photo from a video posted on Facebook by NURSE BANGZ)

MANILA, Philippines — The government should tap its calamity funds to “fix up” the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) following a fire that hit one of its buildings, Senator Richard Gordon said as he called for an “overhaul” of the whole hospital complex.

On Sunday, fire broke out on the third floor of the PGH, which lasted for almost five hours, according to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).

Gordon saw this as an opportunity to start the refurbishments on the state-run medical facility.

“The calamity should be put into focus right away. Nothing should be spared… this is your chance now to fix up the PGH,” Gordon, who also serves as chairman of the Philippine Red Cross, said in an interview over ABS-CBN News Channel.

“Not just this third floor. There are damages. It could have damaged the computers, the machines, the water damage would have seeped down the second floor, and the first floor, where they have billing and admissions, so the records are also compromised,” he added.

“We should help PGH in that regard. I think providing donations is a way of alleviating our pain that we might lose PGH but really, it’s the government’s responsibility,” the senator further said.

According to Gordon, the Department of Public Works and Highways should immediately conduct repairs in the PGH.

“There must be an overhaul, not just of the area, but the whole PGH complex, cause it’s very many years old. The last renovation was done in 1985,” he also said.

“We have to make sure that we have to really overhaul the electrical system of the hospital kasi marami nang luma ‘yan (cause that’s old already),” he added.

Further, Gordon encouraged public-private partnerships in order to help PGH following the fire.

“It’s about time that we do public and private partnerships. You could be innovative by helping the private sector take a particular ward and they fix it, things like that,” he said.

“The private sector can come in anytime,” he added.