|
St.
Luke’s Medical Center (SLMC) topped off its P9.5-billion
hospital construction project in Global City, Taguig
yesterday.
The
construction of the 14-story hospital within a
1.6-hectare lot started in March last year led by
real-estate developer Fort Bonifacio Development Corp.
and engineering and construction company, First Balfour
Inc.
“Our
second St. Luke’s hospital will continue to be
better-equipped than 95 percent of the hospitals in the
United States as we aim to provide our clients the best
facilities and medical treatment possible,” Jose Ledesma,
SLMC’s president and CEO told the BusinessMirror in an
interview.
When
completed, the hospital will provide employment to 2,000
medical professionals and 700 physicians. “We will start
hiring employees, mostly nurses, this August.” Ledesma
said. Full operations are expected to start in July
2009.
Based on
its structural plan, the hospital will have 600 beds and
will have a medical arts building with offices for
doctors, as well as parking space that can accommodate
up to 1,400 vehicles and a helipad that can hold even a
UH-1H large-sized helicopter.
“It is
almost done, only finishing touches are necessary for
its completion,” said Ledesma.
The
hospital expects to serve patients not only from Metro
Manila but also from other provinces as well as foreign
patrons coming from Asia, Micronesia, the Middle East,
Europe and the United States.
In an
earlier interview, St. Luke’s chief medical officer,
Joven Cuanang, vowed to adhere to the same standards and
quality of services as in the first St. Luke’s hospital
while adding more advanced facilities for future
patients.
“We will
have the first PET [positron emission tomography, which
uses radioactive material to treat body abnormalities in
tiny specs] scanning machine in the Philippines and
[which is currently] only available in Singapore and
Hong Kong hospitals,” said Cuanang.
With P5
billion revenues last year turned in by SLMC in Quezon
City, Ledesma is optimistic the new SLMC in Taguig will
post the same growth as he pointed out plans to increase
SLMC’s operations.
“Having
a total of 1, 200 patient beds will keep us growing. Yet
we’re still planning to buy and create more hospitals to
provide people more health access points,” he said,
although he did not disclose details of the hospitals
their company are planning to purchase.
The
country’s premier hospital aims to be one of the top
five hospitals in Asia by 2010. |
