Hospital chief Dr. Pythagoras Zerna said Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, that they hope to increase their bed capacity to 500 beds from 110 with the completion of their main and annex buildings soon.
Zerna said both structures would cost P165 million in total. The funding came from the Office of Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel through the efforts of Mandaue Lone District Rep. Emmarie “Lolypop” Ouano-Dizon.
Dizon said the buildings’ construction is timely with the passage of Republic Act 11273 on April 12, 2019 that mandates the increase in Eversley’s room capacity to 200 after it was upgraded into a general hospital under the same law.
“This all started when our medical chief, Dr. Pythagoras Zerna, visited my office two years ago. He asked for help to finish the ongoing construction of the new and beautiful building,” Dizon said.
Groundbreaking
On Thursday, the hospital conducted a groundbreaking ceremony for its annex building.
The ceremony was attended by Dizon, the representative of Senator Pimentel, Joseph Yu, Jagobiao Barangay Captain Michael Oro Masinas, District Engineer Daisy Toledo of the Department of Public Works and Highways 6th Engineering District, and some city councilors.
Zerna said the annex building would comprise eight floors that would contain the hospital’s supply room, dietary section and additional wards.
He said the construction of the annex building would start in March, and they hope the structure will be partially operational by 2024.
Meanwhile, the main building will house the hospital’s laboratory, rehab medicine, dialysis, radiology, admitting, intensive care unit, neonatal intensive care unit, and respiratory unit, among others.
Zerna said the building started construction in 2019, and three of its four phases were completed in 2022.
He said the hospital’s main building had a formal launching on Feb. 3, during which they also started to transfer some of their patients.
The hospital’s old building will remain to host the Out Patient Department, Malasakit Center, and Newborn Screening Center.
“Dako jud kaayu ni sya nga tabang kay karun nuh daghan napud kaayu tag mga pasyente ba. Maskin muawas na ang demand (patients) nana gyud tay mga rooms and beds nga mahatag,” said Zerna.
(It is a great help because now there are many patients. At least when the demand (patients) is overflowing, we will have rooms and beds that can be provided.)
The hospital is also preparing for its application to increase its level accreditation from level 1 to level 2, which would entail their having additional facilities and bed capacity.
Land dispute
Last September, the Cebu Provincial Government demanded that the hospital, the Department of Health (DOH)-Treatment and Rehabilitation Center Cebu City, and a barangay hall in Barangay Jagobiao vacate a 25-hectare property in the barangay after the Capitol claimed that it was the “lawful owner” of the land.
DOH 7 Director Jaime Bernadas said then that they had already endorsed the case to their central office’s legal office in Manila.
The new main building and annex are both located just beside the hospital’s old building, which is part of the ongoing land dispute.
Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia later clarified that the Province will not drive out the occupants of the 25-hectare property if they will just recognize Capitol’s ownership of the land. She said the Capitol was willing to enter into a 25-year usufruct agreement with the entities involved, which can be renewable for another 25 years.
Zerna declined to comment on the matter.