(Photo courtesy of Mayor Edgar Labella Facebook page)
CEBU CITY - The outpatient department (OPD) of the new Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) on Tuesday started its operation and opened the first three floors of the medical facility.
“It may just be one department for now, but I believe we have to start somewhere because this project has been long overdue,” Mayor Edgardo Labella said.
The city government led the inauguration of the first three floors of the new CCMC building Monday night.
“There had been roadblocks along the way but because of our insistence and perseverance, this moment has finally arrived,” the mayor said during the inauguration.
“We will work doubly hard to ensure the completion of the new CCMC. Our people in the City of Cebu deserve no less than affordable and good medical services,” Labella added.
The opening of the OPD will decongest the old CCMC, which is just across the new building, of patients.
The other departments and the emergency room are expected to operate in the new building in the coming weeks.
Yvonna Cania, the CCMC administrator, said the OPD in the new CCMC could accommodate around 250 to 300 patients.
The construction of the new CCMC building, which has 10 floors, began in 2015. It was demolished in 2014 after it was declared condemned in 2013 due to the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that rocked Cebu and Bohol.
The hospital has installed equipment for the emergency room and the Radiology and X-ray departments.
Labella cited the availability of equipment for MRI, CT scan, X-ray, ultrasound, and dialysis, and a negative pressure area for Covid-19 patients.
There will be at least 140 beds for the first three floors of the new building.
The construction of the remaining seven floors would continue next year. (PNA)
