DMCI completes retrofitting of PGH as COVID-19 referral center

Construction and engineering firm D.M. Consunji Inc. (DMCI) said Saturday it completed the retrofitting the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) as a COVID-19 referral center.

In a statement, DMCI said two wards inside the state hospital were retrofitted to exclusively attend to COVID-19 patients.

“The medical facility, which will house confirmed coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients and high-risk persons under investigation (PUI), was formally turned over to UP-PGH yesterday,” the company said.

To fast track the construction process and control the exposure of its workers, DMCI said it prefabricated offsite the partition walls, exhaust frames and stairs needed to isolate the COVID-19 facility from the rest of the hospital.

“A dedicated team of DMCI workers handled the installation of the prefabricated materials,” it said.

The UP-PGH COVID-19 referral center is one of three government-designated coronavirus referral hospitals in the National Capital Region.

It has "negative pressure" rooms that suck in contaminated air, ventilators and separate access points for patients and medical staff.

DMCI said its workers rushed to complete the project in five days in response to PGH’s tight deadline.

Earlier this week, UP-PGH Director Dr. Gerardo “Gap” Legaspi said they needed a week to fully prepare the hospital for its role as a coronavirus referral center.

“Much of the credit goes to our workers who rose to the challenge of delivering this project on-time and in accordance with social distancing and sanitation protocols. We also commend the management of UP-PGH, Architect Dan Lichauco and Bloomberry Foundation for supporting our workers throughout the construction work,” DMCI President and CEO Jorge Consunji said. — DVM, GMA News