The University of the Philippines (UP) announced Monday that it is “one step closer” to expanding the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) as it builds the PGH Cancer Center and the UP-PGH Diliman branch in Quezon City.
UP said that the proposals for both infrastructure projects were recently raised to the Investment Coordination Committee – Cabinet Committee (ICC-CC) — the highest decision-making body in the executive branch that approves major capital projects.
The UP-PGH Cancer Center will be a 200 to 300-bed facility within the UP Manila campus offering advanced, integrated, and affordable oncology care services to underprivileged Filipinos.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the Philippines as four Filipinos die of cancer every hour, according to UP Manila’s National Institute of Health.
Meanwhile, the university has also set its sights on expanding UP-PGH to a 4.2-hectare area within the Diliman campus in Quezon City with a 700-bed capacity.
Serving 600,000 patients each year, the UP-PGH is the largest government tertiary hospital in the country and the only national referral center for tertiary care, sitting on 10 hectares in the UP Manila campus in Ermita, Manila.
It is expected that the expansion of UP-PGH in Diliman will help the government hospital serve more indigent patients from Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
UP-PGH Diliman is envisioned to complement the capacity and services of UP-PGH Manila, also known as the country’s premier health sciences center.
The Diliman branch will offer the following services:
- Genomics and Genomic Research
- Neurovascular Surgery and Neurosciences
- Oncology and Wellness Center
- Hospice and Palliative Care
- Primary Care in a Multispecialty Outpatient Facility
- Integrative Medicine
- Rehabilitation and Musculoskeletal Center
- Biomechanical Devices and Equipment Center
- Sports Medicine
- Hematology
- Infertility and Difficult Pregnancy
- Geriatrics and Home Care
- Disaster Risk and Reduction
- Special Services—Toxicology
The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board is in charge of approving the proposals, both of which are Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects. Once passed, both projects will be open for bidding by private sector partners.
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