Balanga City, Bataan—The old provincial capitol building of Bataan has been converted to an annex of Bataan General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) in Balanga City following the COVID -19 crisis.
Bataan Gov. Albert Garcia said during blessing of the post-war structure the idea of converting the government building to a hospital emerged when patients swarmed the BGHMC in March and April during the height of corona virus disease.
The 50-bed capacity hospital annex has delivery room, medical ward, neonatal ICU, operating room, pedia ward and surgical ward will cater to non- COVID patients.
It will also be equipped with an ex-ray machine.
Garcia advised would-be patients to consult first with the BGHMC for COVID-19 test.
He said BGHMC was exclusively for COVID-19 patients and adjacent to it the PCR lab testing center.
PCR laboratory test results will be known within 48 hours, the governor said.
The BGHMC Annex is for non-COVID patients. But the patients must be first tested negative at
the PCR lab testing and be declared "clean" before being allowed to be confined at the hospital annex, Garcia said.
For her part, Vice Governor Cris Garcia said in her message during the hospital annex opening
ceremony: “In facing the COVID-19 pandemic, we at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan passed on March 17 the resolution declaring Bataan under the State of Emergency."
"And almost weekly thereafter, we passed the resolutions and ordinances needed.1Bataan truly stands for unity in the province", she also said.
Gov. Garcia also noted that SP even hastily passed urgent resolutions and ordinances as the province dealt with the COVID-19 crisis.
The hospital annex has a license to operate until Dec. 31, 2020 issued by the Department of Health.