Completion of Ifugao General Hospital pushed

March 9, 2020 Provincial

LAGAWE, Ifugao, Mar. 6(PIA) — The Regional Project Monitoring Committee (RPMC) and the Provincial Government of Ifugao are pushing for the completion of the only hospital in this capital town within the year.

The RPMC Project Inspectorate Team led by NEDA-CAR Regional Director Milagros Rimando together with the officials of Ifugao led by Gov. Jerry Dalipog and Vice Gov. Glenn Prudenciano and representatives from the Department of Health (DOH) – Cordillera Regional office and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) – Ifugao First District Engineering Office inspected the ongoing construction of the Ifugao General Hospital (IGH) main building and the support buildings here on March 2.

The RPMC initiated the inspection particularly to look at the structural retrofitting being done at the main building of the IGH to ensure that the structure will be fit for occupancy following the recommendation of a third party assessment by a structural engineer who recommended additional strengthening measures to ensure stability of the buildings.

Dalipog thanked the RPMC for including the IGH in the monitoring of projects and vowed to work closely with the DOH, DPWH and other agencies to finally complete the hospital which is already at least 10 years in the making.

The DOH has already implemented more than P60 million for the completion of the upper and lower ground floors while the provincial government is targeting another P50M budget for the completion of the second floor in the next quarter. More than P20M is also being added by the provincial government for the recommended works to ensure the structural integrity of the buildings.

The RPMC has been conducting project inspection and validation of the hospital building since it started in 2009 following issues on the implementation of Phase 1 of the project by the Provincial Government of Ifugao and the Phase 2 and 3 implemented by the DOH thru the DPWH.
In December last year, the DOH conducted a third party assessment by Structural Engineer Joselito Buhangin on the recommendation of the RPMC in an earlier inspection. The assessment indicated the need to implement additional retrofitting and strengthening measures to ensure that the structure will be more resilient against lateral loads especially from seismic activities.

“The proposed additional strengthening measures using the intervention of shear walls have been designed so as not to interfere with the carbon fiber retrofitting installed on columns and beams and has been designed around it. It is important that the carbon fiber is not punctured during the strengthening process. In the absence of a soil test report, the design of the shear wall footings was based on an assumed soil pressure which can be verified from actual construction and modified accordingly,” in the report.

Rimando thanked the provincial governor for personally joining the inspection and for allocating funds and other support and commitment to ensure that the hospital will be realized and will serve the people of Ifugao.

The construction of the IGH has been proposed as early as 2008 under the Hospital Facilities Enhancement Program of DOH. The estimated budget for the completion of the new IGH is P328M to be released in tranches.

JDP/RMC- PIA CAR