STATE-RUN Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) has approved a P400-million loan for the first level-2 hospital in the town of General Mariano Alvarez in Cavite.
Of the total, P278 million will partially finance the construction of the hospital while P122 million will cover the acquisition of medical equipment and machinery, DBP President and Chief Executive Officer Michael O. de Jesus said in a statement on Thursday.
The loan to Healthstar Hospital and Medical Center–GMA, Inc. (HHMCI) was made under the bank’s Strategic Healthcare Investments for Enhanced Lending & Development (SHIELD) program, DBP said.
“DBP’s support to HHMCI reaffirms our commitment to providing critical support towards a more progressive and competitive healthcare sector in the country,” Mr. De Jesus said.
Under the SHIELD program, DBP has approved 148 accounts with a total loan amount of P38.95 billion, DBP Senior Vice President and Development Lending Head Ma. Lourdes B. Gumba said.
HHMCI, a start-up company owned by medical and business professionals, will be a 100-bed hospital. As a level 2 facility, it will have an intensive care unit and specialist doctors.
The hospital aims to serve the 5th district of Cavite, which has a population of about 500,000 covering the towns of General Mariano Alvarez, Silang, and Carmona as well as Dasmariñas City. — Aaron Michael C. Sy