PAMPANGA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the establishment of the Philippine Heart Center Annex in Clark, Pampanga, as the first of two specialty hospitals set to rise inside the freeport zone.
Marcos signed Executive Order No. 19 on Wednesday, March 8, for the purpose of eliminating the need for residents of the regions north of Manila to travel to Quezon City, where the Philippine Heart Center is located.
“Subject to limitations under existing laws, rules and regulations, the national government shall establish the Philippine Heart Center Annex in Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga (PHC Clark), which will primarily render specialized medical services for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases,” the EO states.
“With world-class highways and an international airport, the Clark Freeport Zone is a gateway to Central Luzon. As such, establishing a specialty hospital annex in Clark Freeport Zone will bring quality healthcare closer to the people,” the EO also reads.
In a press release in October 2022, the Clark Development Corporation (CDC) said the freeport zone was being eyed as the location for two specialty hospitals, including the regional hospital of the National Kidney Center.
An 18.68-hectare land at Pulang Lupa and 5.72-hectare land at the former Savencia area are the possible locations.
The plan to establish two specialty hospitals inside Clark was approved by the CDC board headed by chairman Edgardo Pamintuan. This was was mentioned in a memorandum issued by CDC president and CEO Agnes Devanadera.
A photo released by CDC on November 7, 2022, showed Devanadera leading an ocular inspection of the site of the specialty hospital in Clark with Senator Mark Villar, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) Chairman Alejandro Tengco.
The photo release did not mention which specialty hospital was being prioritized. However, it was stated that the construction would be jointly funded by PAGCOR and the Congress, as it was one of the priority projects of Marcos.
“CDC has initially coordinated the possible funding of the project with PAGCOR, through its Chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco and its president and COO Atty. Juanito L. Sañosa Jr. We are likewise looking into having the original design of the two specialty hospitals implemented in Clark, coordinating with the architect and planner of the said buildings,” Devanadera said in the statement.
Under the EO No. 19, the PHC will establish, manage, and administer PHC Clark and amend its existing hospital development plan to include the proposed programs and initiatives for the PHC Clark, consistent with the Philippine Health Facility Development Plan 2020-2040, and in coordination with the Department of Health (DOH) and other relevant government agencies.
The EO also states that the funding needed for the establishment and continued operations of the PHC Clark “shall be charged against the available appropriations of the DOH and/or the annual corporate operating budget of the PHC, subject to the pertinent budgeting, accounting and auditing rules and regulations.”
Additionally, it may also be sourced from agreements that the PHC may enter into with other government agencies for the purpose of establishing and operating the PHC Clark.
The PHC was established under Presidential Decree No. 673 s. 1975. It is the sole specialty hospital in the country that provides specialized medical services to Filipinos suffering from cardiovascular diseases.
Designed to have four petals in each floor to represent the four chambers of the human heart, the PHC has 354 beds in its tertiary center. It has 21 nursing units, 53 intensive care unit beds, 56 private rooms, 74 semi-private rooms, 25 suites with one presidential suite, 3 adult service wards, and a pediatric service ward. – Rappler.com
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