Bataan hospital gets German grant for flood-proofing

The Jose C. Payumo Memorial District Hospital (JCPMDH) in Dinalupihan town here has received a grant from the German government to put up a flood-control project.

The donation aimed to protect two COVID-19 referral hospitals in the Philippines from flooding, said German engineer and Philippine resident Dr Andreas “Andi” Klippe, president and chief executive officer of Flood Control Asia RS Corporation

German Ambassador to the Philippines Anke Reiffenstuel, Bataan Governor Albert S. Garcia and Dinalupihan Mayor Maria Angela Gila Garcia on Friday, January 22, attended the project launch at the JCPMDH.

The JCPMDH is the second hospital in the country to get such grant. The first was the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Manila.

The selection process for the two hospitals involved intensive studies on their flooding conditions where the delivery of basic health services was severely hampered because of the flood waters. Both PGH and JCPMDH passed the strict selection criteria set by RS Engineers.

Enrico Yuzon, provincial engineer of Bataan said that during heavy rain the hospital’s surrounding area gets submerged by an average of 1.5 meters of flood water. About half a meter of floods enter the buildings, making it impossible for doctors and hospital staff to effectively care for their patients, especially those requiring critical treatment.

JCPMDH, located in Brgy. San Ramon in Dinalupihan town, is a 70-bed hospital designated for COVID-19 treatment. It has also been recently designated as an HIV- treatment facility.

Garcia thanked the German government for the grant, saying that this would make JCPMDH doubly efficient and responsive to the health care needs of the Bataeños.

About 80% of the financial grant would be donated by the government of the Federal Republic of Germany, while the remaining 20% will be shouldered by Flood Control Asia RS Corp.

Meanwhile, Detailed Engineering Assessment has already been completed for the Philippine General Hospital in the late part of December last year.

Preparation of the required flood barriers is now underway at the RS Production Plant and will be installed soon.

Flood Control Asia RS Corp. is a Filipino-German flood protection company based in Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga. It is dedicated to the control of flooding for vital government installations, factories, hospitals, business establishments, and residences. – Rappler.com