The Ceased Operation of Sto. Niño Hospital

Sto. Niño Hospital in the City of Baguio stopped its operation last 2009. “After serious review and reconsideration on the matters underlying the decision of the board and the appeals raised by the hospital employees and its professionals, the board finds no compelling reason to justify a departure from its earlier decision to cease hospital operations and close down the facility,” reads the statement from the Avila Law Office last 2009. Citing unfavorable operational viability as main reason why the mentioned hospital stopped operating to clarify.

The Government and Owner Agreement

The City government announced that they got the permission of the owners of the said hospital to reopen it as a COVID-19 treatment facility. Mayor Benjie Magalong, Dr. Willy Occidental and City Administrator Bonifacio Dela Peña talked to the hospital owners and agreed to use the hospital for free.

The Reason of Reopening

The hospital will serve as the exclusive critical care unit for COVID-19 patients. However, the doctors will take care non-COVID patients at the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center and other hospitals. This is done to protect the other hospitals from the risk of contamination.

Officials support the plan and agreed. Above all, they will help the city gain the approval from the people. The front liners such as doctors, nurses and experts will make the facility close enough. This precaution is done to avoid posing a danger to the community from the infectious diseases in other words.

Who will prepare the Hospital?

The facility preparations to start the operation had started. The team will do a site visit to evaluate the hospital. They will check the capacity for intensive care unit,operating room, dialysis, and deliveries. They will asses the needs in terms of equipment, manpower and supplies. Lastly, the City Tourism Operations Office, City Environment and Parks Management Office, City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, personnel from the City Building and Architecture Office, and the city government with the Baguio City Police Office trainees do the overall cleaning-up of the Sto. Niño Hospital.