68 new hospitals built in Region 3

A total of 68 newly constructed hospital buildings in Central Luzon is expected to improve health services in the communities, according to Severino Santos, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) regional director and Regional Project Monitoring Committee (RPMC) chair.

Santos said the newly completed and expanded health facilities were recently turned-over to the Department of Health Region 3 (DOH3) by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

The project is under the government Health Facilities and Enhancement Program (HFEP) of the DOH, he said.

Fifty-four of the 55 projects that were programmed in 2013 were built at a total cost of 219 million, and 14 of 18 that were programmed in 2014 had a total construction cost of 26.77 million, Santos said.

“The remaining project due for completion among those that were programmed in 2013 is the 75 million expansion of the Tarlac Provincial Hospital, which is 99 percent complete,” he said.

The report also indicated that 32 of the facilities that were programmed in 2013 are located in Bulacan; 15 in Pampanga; two each in Aurora, Tarlac, and Zambales; and one each in Bataan and Nueva Ecija.

Moreover, the DPWH report said that Nueva Ecija and Pampanga have the most number of 2014 programmed HFEP projects at six each followed by Bulacan with four, and Tarlac and Zambales with one each.