BACOLOD City – A long-delayed healthcare infrastructure project aimed at strengthening maternal and pediatric services in the Negros Island Region (NIR) has finally moved forward, with construction officially beginning on the P163.5-million renovation and completion of the Mother and Child Building at the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH).
Hospital officials marked the start of the project on June 15, describing it as a major investment by the Department of Health (DOH) that will expand access to specialized healthcare services for mothers, newborns, children, and women across Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Siquijor, and nearby provinces.
Prior to the groundbreaking, CLMMRH officials held a press conference to present the project’s implementation plan, construction timeline, and expected benefits for patients throughout the region.
Funded through the DOH’s Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP), the project seeks to complete a facility that was first initiated in 2013 but remained unfinished due to funding and implementation challenges.
The renovation includes mechanical, electrical, and plumbing works, structural retrofitting, architectural finishing, and other civil works necessary to make the building fully operational and capable of delivering the specialized services originally envisioned for the facility.
Hospital officials said the project will be implemented in two phases over a period of at least 12 months, including migration, commissioning, and turnover activities.
The first phase will focus on the renovation and completion of the third floor and is expected to take about 20 weeks. The second phase will involve the renovation of the second floor, including operational and non-operational areas, with an estimated completion period of 21 weeks.
To ensure uninterrupted healthcare services during construction, the project will follow four major milestones: the initial transfer of patients, staff, and equipment; the completion and turnover of the renovated third floor; the operational transfer of hospital units into completed areas; and the final commissioning and turnover of the entire facility.
Once completed, the Mother and Child Building will significantly expand CLMMRH’s capacity, adding 189 beds dedicated to maternal, neonatal, pediatric, and women’s health services.
The third floor will accommodate 85 beds, including 68 ward beds, nine Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) beds, and eight Special Care Unit (SCU) beds. The second floor will house 104 beds consisting of 90 ward beds, 12 private-room beds, and two isolation-room beds.
Hospital officials said the upgraded facility will improve patient safety, accessibility, and service delivery while ensuring compliance with national building regulations, fire safety standards, accessibility requirements, and green-building initiatives.
The third floor will serve as a center for specialized obstetric, gynecologic, oncology, and pediatric services, including facilities for infectious and airborne-related cases, pediatric intensive monitoring, chemotherapy support, and other specialized treatment areas.
Meanwhile, the second floor will cater to post-delivery mothers, critical obstetric and gynecologic patients, Kangaroo Mother Care services, and pediatric patients requiring subspecialty care in nephrology, cardiology, rheumatology, and endocrinology.
As the apex government tertiary referral hospital in the Negros Island Region, CLMMRH said the completion of the Mother and Child Building represents a major step toward addressing the growing demand for specialized healthcare services in the region.
Hospital officials expressed optimism that the long-awaited project will improve healthcare outcomes for thousands of families by providing modern facilities and expanded services closer to home./PN
