PICC Forum Halls to be converted into health facilities

MANILA – Villar Group is working with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and EEI for the conversion of the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) Forum Halls 1 to 3 into a much-needed facility for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) patients in 10 days’ time.

In support of President Rodrigo Duterte’s call to combine efforts in fighting Covid-19 as one nation, they are working together to complete the redesigning and transformation of Forum Halls into Covid-19 facility geared also for the health monitoring of patients under monitoring (PUMs) and persons under investigation (PUIs).

The immediate conversion of PICC Forum Halls to an improvised health facility will significantly provide an optimal isolation space for monitoring of people infected by Covid-19 as most health facilities in Metro Manila have or are nearing maximum capacity.

The PICC Forum Halls is a multi-purpose venue with a usable area of about 4,000 square meters.

Once converted, it is estimated to cater to the treatment of about 630 Covid-19 patients.

“In these challenging times, I would like to give you the firm assurance of our companies’ commitment to extend help in whichever way we can and converting PICC to a health facility in the fastest time we can is just one of them,” Manny Villar, chairman of the Villar Group of Companies, said in a statement Friday.

Once completed, the operation of PICC’s temporary health facility for treatment and monitoring of patients experiencing mild respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough, and colds shall be under the supervision of the Department of Health (DOH). (PR)