Subic General Hospital, A Mystery Solved
The mystery that is haunting the completion of the hospital which was long been promised by the local government of Subic, Zambales was finally given resolve.
Workers fast tracking the finishing touches of the P349 Million three-story Subic General Hospital in Cawag, Subic, Zambales. The hospital will be operated and manage by the national government thru Department of Health.
In an effort to clarify the misleading and disinformation telltales surrounding the construction of the hospital, representatives from the local government of Subic, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and Department of Health (DOH), met with local media on Tuesday.
During the said meeting, it was clarified the allegations of critics that the construction of the hospital has already reaching ten years, that the hospital is merely a “ghost project”, that it is an open example of graft and corruption of the administration, and so forth.
The hospital was originally planned as infirmary hospital with a capacity of only 20 beds with a budget of P10 million and to be constructed in 1.5 h.a. land donated by Fiesta Community developer Willy Tan. The ground breaking was in 2022 near WEA in Barangay Cawag. However, in 2023, the proposal was redesigned to become 75-bed capacity, causing to temporarily halt the construction and fundings.
However, upon inspection of the officials from the DOH: its strategic location being the nearest for Hyundai Shipyard in Redondo Peninsula, and Seatrium Shipyard in Bgy. Cawag; and the expected beneficiaries from Olongapo City and Zambales- in May 2024, the proposed hospital was upgraded to Level 2 facility with 100-bed capacity. The budget also rose to ₱289.5 Million.
Then, in 2025 another adjustment was made by expanding the bed capacity to 150, thus the budget allocation received an additional ₱50 million, and the land area was expanded to 15,000 sq.m. The total budget allocation has reached ₱349 Million.
The changes in bed-capacity means adjustments in structural design of the building from single to three-storey: its foundation become bigger, the land area has to be expanded, and the budget also has to be adjusted. Thus, these adjustments, not corruption, significantly caused the delays in completing the hospital.
It was also clarified that the Level 3 Hospital to be named Subic General Hospital will be funded, manage and operated completely by DOH, with no single peso coming from LGU Subic.
Accordingly, a Level 3 hospital is described as “a tertiary-level, teaching/training hospital offering highly specialized care, including residency programs, advanced labs (like histopathology), blood banks, dialysis, physical rehab, and often larger bed capacities (200-1500), providing comprehensive services beyond basic and secondary care levels.”
DPHW officials expected that the completed and finished physical structure of Subic General Hospital (SGH) will be transferred to DOH on November this year. Hence, the operational budget, medical equipment, furnishing, and personnel and other necessary compliments for the hospital shall be filled by the national government.
Hear’s to watch: If all these facts are the reasons for the delays in the completion of the long dreamed hospital for Subic, let me quote one official who said it all, “It’s worth the hassles!”
