In an effort to ramp-up available facilities for isolation of COVID-19 infected persons in Western Mindanao, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has completed the conversion of the old Zamboanga Convention Center in Pasonanca, Zamboanga City.
DPWH Secretary Mark Villar announced that the newly-converted Convention Center into a mega-quarantine facility with 188 beds will provide management, monitoring and treatment of asymptomatic and moderate COVID-19 patients.
On behalf of Villar, Undersecretary and DPWH Task Force for Augmentation of Local and National Health Facilities Head Emil Sadain led the inauguration and ceremonial turnover of the Zamboanga Convention Center Quarantine Facility to the city government of Zamboanga.
Present during the event are DPWH Regional Office 9 Director Cayamombao Dia and the Zamboanga City local officials with Mayor Isabel Climaco-Salazar represented by Dr. Elmeir Apolinario of the Zamboanga City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, City Health Officer Dr. Dulce Amor Miravite and Councilor Josephine Pareja.
“DPWH’s construction of quarantine facilities using available spaces like this convention center will give our hospitals more capacity to handle severe and critical patients.”
“DPWH’s construction of quarantine facilities using available spaces like this convention center will give our hospitals more capacity to handle severe and critical patients and make up for the shortage of hospital beds because of the pandemic,” Sadain said.
DPWH has already built 733 units of COVID-19 facilities with 27,113 beds nationwide.
To date, DPWH thru Task Force for Augmentation of Health Facilities formed by the public works chief has already built 733 units of COVID-19 facilities with 27,113 beds nationwide consists of 668 quarantine/isolation facilities with 25,506 beds, 51 off-site dormitories with 1,320 beds, and 14 modular hospital with 287 beds.
The converted facility is expected to augment the capacity of the Zamboanga City Quarantine Facility which was inaugurated last March.
The repurposing of Zamboanga Convention Center into isolation facilities was implemented by DPWH Regional Office 9 in close coordination with Department of Health Regional 9 Director Joshua Brillantes and Chairman Efigenio Julian Jr. of Barangay Pasonanca, Zamboanga City.
Heightened implementation of minimum public standards and protocols are in effect at Zamboanga City to contain the surge in COVID-19 cases.
