Rizal Memorial Stadium almost ready as a medical facility

Rizal Memorial Stadium is ready (BCDA Group/tiebreakertimes.com)

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Rizal Memorial Stadium is ready to open its doors for the country as a medical facility for COVID-19 patients this week.

After PSC chairman Butch Ramirez voluntarily offered the Rizal Memorial Stadium as a medical facility to help decongest hospitals, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) immediately checked out the sports center to put out the best design as a medical facility.

With the country’s rise in the patients testing positive for COVID-19, the different hospitals faced problems in accommodating the patients that’s why Chairman Ramirez volunteered the large sports facility to be temporarily converted as a medical facility.

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles confirmed that the Stadium will be ready to open this week, during the Inter-Agency Task Force briefing.

“COVID-19 chief implementor, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., reports that Rizal Stadium will be ready by this week, actually very early this week, with a capacity for 200 beds,” Nograles said.

Nograles added that in New Clark City, Tarlac, government buildings which used to be temporary quarantine facility, have been converted into a 1,000-bed hospital.

“Government buildings in New Clark City have already been refurbished and have been converted into a 1,000-bed hospital,” he added.