Last week, The Bohol Tribune ran an article asking about the future status of the water supply at the Cortes campus of the Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital (GCGMH).
The Bohol Tribune reached out to the GCGMH medical center chief Dr. Mutya Kismet Macuno for reaction on the questions regarding the availability of water supply at the soon-to-be-completed GCGMH campus in Cortes town.
The Bohol Tribune received a reply from Macuno after the deadline last week. Thus, it was not included in last week’s story that saw print.
Per policy of this newspaper, any reaction shall be published as soon as possible, in the spirit of fairness and balanced reporting.
Macuno said that the water supply at the construction site is being supplied by an identified water source in Cortes town, Macuno said in a text message to The Bohol Tribune.
However, Macuno did not elaborate on the details of the water source tapped to provide water at the site at Cortes.
She said the water supply is for the use of the on going construction of the hospital.
She added that the hospital management and the local government unit (LGU) of Cortes entered into a memorandum of agreement for the water supply.
Macuno explained that other water sources will be tapped when the P1.5-billion hospital will start is operations hopefully by next year.
The piping, she explained, is being laid out while the hospital buildings are being constructed.
Other water sources, she quipped, “will be duly arranged when there is an established need.”
“At the moment, per the technical and engineering team, it is premature to get a private water source,” she explained to The Bohol Tribune.
Macuno added that the current water supply at the construction site comes from spring and underground water source.
She revealed that by 2023, the plan is to tap other water sources for the hospital.
“Major water source for the hospital, for operation: spring and other sources as deemed necessary,” she told The Bohol Tribune in a text message.
The answers of the GCGMH medical center chief comes at the wake of issues surfacing that the looming crown jewel of Bohol and Central Visayas’ healthcare allegedly would struggle to find a suitable water source to supply the hospital’s need upon its completion sometime next year.
A source who is privy to the situation revealed to The Bohol Tribune allegedly that the hospital is yet to map out where it would get its water supply once the construction is completed.
It is common knowledge that water is a key component in the operation of a hospital and it is impossible to provide world-class healthcare if there is no water.