Three companies showed interest in partnering with the local government here to operate and manage the Uswag Iloilo Hospital and Medical Arts Building through a public-private partnership.
Lawyer David Abraham Garcia, head of the Iloilo City Public-Private Partnership Office, said on Wednesday, June 25, The Medical City (TMC) submitted an unsolicited proposal this month.
Meanwhile, Healthway Qualimed Hospital by Ayala and West Visayas State University Medical Center have also signaled intent to participate.
“They all want to operate and manage the city hospital,” Garcia said in an interview.
TMC’s proposal includes an upfront payment and lease for the hospital and its parking area.
It also proposes converting some ward-designed rooms into private ones to help recoup investments.
The non-negotiable items would include a percentage of the rooms for indigent city residents free of charge and their lease payment.
He refused to discuss the details further since they were still evaluating the offer.
“By August, we will decide, through the evaluation, whether it’s a good proposal or not, whether it’s beneficial to the city or not. If we decide to accept it, then we proceed to negotiation, but if it is not good, right away we can reject it,” he added.
Should the proposal be accepted, the two other firms will have the chance to submit counterproposals under a Swiss challenge process.
The five-story, 200-bed Level 2 hospital in Barangay San Pedro, Molo district, is currently 57.77 percent complete, following its groundbreaking on Sept. 9, 2022.PNA
