CLMMRH starts PHP 163.5 million mother-child building upgrade

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — The Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital officially started the renovation of its Mother and Child Building on Monday as part of efforts to modernize and expand specialized health care services for mothers, newborns, children, and women across the Negros Island Region.

In a press briefing Monday, Rey Melchor Bryan Baylon, chief administrative officer for Hospital Operations and Patient Support Service, presented the project’s implementation plan, timeline, and expected benefits for patients and communities served by the government tertiary referral hospital.

Baylon said the project was originally initiated in 2013 and included mechanical, electrical, plumbing, structural retrofitting, architectural finishing, and civil works needed to fully renovate the facility.

However, the agreement with the contractor at that time was mutually terminated in August 2025 due to availability issues, with the project only 65% complete.

Despite years of delays caused by funding and implementation challenges, Dr. Joan Cerrada, medical center chief, said CLMMRH moved forward to complete the project and ensure that the facility can finally deliver the specialized services for which it was envisioned.

She clarified that the undertaking is not a continuation of the previous project but a new one intended to ensure compliance with hospital building standards.

“Despite the renovations before, there were already leaks that need retrofitting and we need to ensure that it’s tremor-resilient,” Cerrada said.

The project aims to restore and upgrade the building’s remaining mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and civil systems while completing the necessary structural and architectural enhancements.

It will improve the facility’s functionality, accessibility, and safety while ensuring compliance with national building regulations, licensing requirements, accessibility standards, fire safety codes, and green building initiatives.

Funded through the Department of Health’s Health Facilities Enhancement Program, the project has an estimated cost of PHP 163.5 million.

The renovation and completion project will be implemented in two phases to minimize disruptions to hospital operations and ensure the continued delivery of patient care.

Cerrada said hospital staff began vacating the third floor last week to give way to the first phase of renovation, which is expected to take about 20 weeks.

The second phase will involve the renovation and completion of the second floor, including work in both operational and nonoperational areas, with an estimated duration of 21 weeks.

The project is expected to take at least 12 months, including migration, transition, commissioning, and turnover activities.

Upon completion, the Mother and Child Building will have a total bed capacity of 189 beds across its second and third floors.

The third floor will have 85 beds, consisting of 68 ward beds, nine Pediatric Intensive Care Unit beds, and eight Special Care Unit beds.

The second floor will have 104 beds, including 90 ward beds, 12 private room beds, and two isolation room beds.

The expanded capacity will enable CLMMRH to accommodate more patients while ensuring appropriate segregation and specialized care for maternal, neonatal, pediatric, and gynecologic cases.

The third floor will serve as the primary area for specialized obstetric, gynecologic, and pediatric services.

It will accommodate obstetric and gynecologic cases, patients with airborne-related obstetric and gynecologic conditions, gynecologic chemotherapy cases, and an oncology pharmacy preparation room.

The floor will also house intensive pediatric monitoring units, pediatric gastroenterology and respiratory services, facilities for airborne-related pediatric conditions, and individual isolation rooms for infectious pediatric cases.

Meanwhile, the second floor will cater to post-normal and post-cesarean delivery patients, critical obstetric and gynecologic cases, and mother-and-newborn services, including Kangaroo Mother Care.

It will also accommodate critical and intensive pediatric cases, as well as patients requiring nephrology, cardiology, rheumatology, and endocrinology services.

Additional areas will be designated for other noninfectious pediatric cases, ensuring comprehensive and patient-centered care for a broad range of medical conditions.

The project marks a significant milestone in the hospital’s continuing efforts to strengthen maternal, neonatal, pediatric, and women’s health care services across the region.

In January, CLMMRH reopened its PHP 92 million upgraded emergency room after a three-month renovation aimed at addressing longstanding overcrowding and improving patient care.