CCMC FUND ‘IS ENOUGH’

Structural work on the new Cebu City Medical Center is about 80 percent done; first 3 floors to be ready within 2018 Cebu City’s public hospital will need more people once the new 6-storey facility is completed

CCMC needs more people because several medical personnel have either retired or resigned from public service. The first three floors of the new hospital building are expected to be operational by the end of next year.

An official of the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) assured that the hospital’s P38-million budget for drugs and medicines is enough to last until March.

Kenneth Siasar, CCMC administrator, said that the amount, which came from the City Government’s 2017 supplemental budget, is enough until the hospital can bid out the next batch of supplies for next year.

“With the help of the City Council and the Office of the Mayor, so far we have enough supplies in the hospital. With our budget coming from the supple- mental, we would be okay,” he said during the budget hearing last week.

Siasar said they will just have to “outdo” the appropriation this year since they don’t have yet the budget for January to March 2018.

He explained they have to go through the bidding process for the drugs and medicines before they can allocate funds for it.

The hospital, though, will need additional personnel once the new CCMC building becomes operational.

Siasar said that the first three floors of the new hospital building are expected to be operational by the end of 2018. The first three levels will house the emergency room and outpatient department.

“As far as structural is concerned, I think we are almost 80 percent done. Parallel to that, I think we’re going to do the second phase, which is the interior portion, soon,” he said.

But since several medical personnel have either retired or resigned from service this year, Siasar said their existing number of personnel may not be enough once the six-storey building will be completed. An earthquake in October 2013 badly damaged the old CCMC.

For the hospital to be operational, the CCMC needs to be accredited by the Department of Health. Among the requirements are the hospital budget, equipment and personnel.

The request for additional personnel was already raised by CCMC to the City Human Resources Department last month, Siasar said. /