DAVAO CITY HOSPITAL. Officials of Davao City and the University of the Philippines System sign the design perspective of the PHP1.75-billion Davao City Public Hospital (DCPH) on Tuesday (Dec. 20, 2022). The agreement has a term of 25 years, after which the city government will turn over the DCPH to UP. (PNA photo by Nef Luczon)
DAVAO CITY – Officials of the city government and the University of the Philippines (UP) System broke ground on the site of the PHP1.75 billion Davao City Public Hospital (DCPH) here Tuesday.
UP System president Danilo Concepcion said the plan to have the DCPH within the UP Mindanao campus is aligned with its plan for the establishment of the College of Medicine.
"This is also a good investment for the city government where the public health of the residents is a priority," he said, adding that the plan to establish a hospital facility was hatched when Vice President Sara Duterte was still the city mayor.
The City Council approved the “Davao City Hospital Ordinance” in May last year, authorizing then-mayor Sara to sign the memorandum of agreement with UP on behalf of the city on June 7, 2021.
Concepcion signed the agreement for the university, which the UP Board of Regents confirmed on Aug. 26, 2021. The agreement includes the city government’s turnover of the DCPH to UP after 25 years.
Former city councilor Joselle Villafuerte, the ordinance's main proponent, said she was delighted that the DCPH plan has taken shape.
"It's like a dream come true when you work on something for so long and had several meetings even during the pandemic," she said in an interview.
Villafuerte, a physician by profession, said the DCPH project aims to decongest the population of patients at the government-run Southern Philippines Medical Center here.
The DCPH has secured a PHP1.5 billion budget from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. and another PHP250 million in funding from the city.
It will be built on a 3.2-hectare development site within the UP Mindanao campus. (PNA)
