MANILA – The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board chaired by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has approved the construction of a PHP6-billion cancer center at the University of the Philippines (UP)-Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Manila.
This developed after Marcos presided over the 3rd NEDA Board Meeting at Malacañan Palace in Manila on Thursday, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Cheloy Garafil said in a statement.
"The NEDA Board gave its nod for the construction of a PHP6-billion, 300-bed capacity hospital, the administration’s first PPP (public-private partnership) project," Garafil said.
The project, Garafil said, will provide a full range of cancer treatments, including radio oncology (radiotherapy), imaging, medical oncology and support for the UP-PGH’s teaching and research activities.
Garafil said the proposed cancer center, with a lot area of 3,000 square meters, will be located within the UP-PGH campus in Manila.
She added that the entire building will have a capacity of 300 beds (150 charity beds for the UP-PGH Area and 150 private beds for the Private Area), 15 to 20 floors, 350 parking spaces, 1,000-square-meter commercial space, and an area for three linear accelerators (LINAC) bunkers.
"The UP-PGH’s private partner will design, engineer, construct, and commission the entire new hospital building, procure, maintain, and provide for the periodic replacement of medical and non-medical equipment," she said.
"It will also maintain all non-clinical services for the entire hospital building, operate relevant commercial activities, provide clinical services to private-paying patients in the private area and assume all associated costs of clinical manpower, drugs and consumables," Garafil added.
Garafil said the UP-PGH will provide the site at no cost; transfer the existing equipment to the Cancer Institute; offer clinical services to non-paying charity patients in the UP-PGH area; assume all associated costs of clinical manpower, drugs, and consumables; and undertake clinical teaching and research.
She said the first PPP project is part of the Marcos administration’s efforts to modernize the country’s health infrastructure on oncology services and cancer care.
"The project aims to establish UP-PGH’s dedicated cancer hospital that will modernize its health infrastructure and offer comprehensive, high-quality, and affordable oncology services towards enhancing the country’s health service quality and capacity for cancer care," she said.
"It will be solicited from the public through the submission of a bid and will be structured as a 30-year Build-Transfer-Operate (BTO) arrangement under the BOT Law," Garafil added.
The BTO scheme is an agreement that grants a concession to a private partner to finance, build and operate a project over a fixed term.
After that period, the project is returned to the public entity that originally granted the concession. (PNA)
