The new public hospital that the city government is expected to start building this year will be made available even to non-residents seeking medical care.

Dr. Evelyno Buenaventura, the co-chair of the secretariat overseeing the construction of the Davao City Public Hospital, the new facility aims to decongest the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC)—the only regional hospital here operated by the Department of Health.

“The city aims to open the hospital as a level one medical facility with specialist departments such as ob-gyne, surgery, pediatrics, and a Level 2 laboratory. It will be a hospital that can cater to almost all medical services except high-end procedures,” Buenaventura said in an interview Thursday.

The city hospital’s floor plan only needs finishing touches while its site development has started with the utilization of the initial funding of PHP250 million for the facility, Buenaventura said.

The facility will rise on a 3.2-hectare lot in the Mintal area with a 20,000-square meter floor area.

“There are plans to upgrade the hospital into a level two medical facility which means it will house a blood bank, a dialysis section, intensive care unit, and additional services for high-end cases,” Buenaventura said.

He also underscored the importance of having more specialists to raise the level of the facility’s medical care system.

Almost 200 plantilla positions will be created to man the new city hospital, Buenaventura said, adding that staffing is now being reviewed by the Sangguniang Panlungsod in close coordination with the Davao City Human Resources Management Office. (PNA)