Navy eyes own hospital ship
By James Mananghaya
Monday, June 4, 2007

With lessons learned from past national disasters and emergencies, the Philippine Navy is now looking at the acquisition of a special-purpose vessel that can serve as a hospital ship or “floating government center.”

Navy spokesman Giovanni Carlo Bacordo told The STAR that the so-called multi-purpose vessel or MPV would be designed to address the needs of victims of calamities as well as help the government deal more effectively with emergencies.

“The Navy would only provide manpower to man the ship,” Bacordo said.

“The main target should be to save lives, provide immediate aid to a distressed population, accommodate victims on board, if needed, and clear the way for fresh assistance and support, thus the platform should be capable of embarking food provisions, medical supplies, clothing and a large quantity of extra equipment for clearing operations,” he said.

The MPV could accommodate three helicopters and three small vessels at any given time.

He said that the MPV is capable of getting close to the scene of action because it can dock, beach, land vehicles or airlift cargo. It can also perform support operations like command and control.

“It should be able to evacuate casualties and provide medical support and emergency treatment for serious injuries as well,” he said.

Bacordo said the MPV could even be used to evacuate Filipinos in trouble spots around the world.

“The Lebanon crisis showed us the need to conquer the tyranny of distance. Just as in the aftermath of disasters in our archipelago when airstrips are obstructed, roads or railways are blocked, ports are damaged or there are no safe harbors, the only way in or out of Lebanon was through the sea,” he said.

“The desired platform for these scenarios should be capable of open-ocean voyages, have good sea keeping capabilities and long endurance and outfitted for prolonged deployment,” Bacordo said.

The Navy, he said, is choosing from among several models that are already being used by foreign navies, such as the Endurance Class Landing Ship of Singapore, the Spanish Navy’s Galicia, and the US Navy’s San Antonio. But he stressed the design of the ship should satisfy local requirements.

He said that in view of the huge costs of acquiring such a vessel, the Navy is studying several procurement options including a government-to-government transaction, which is considered best for big-ticket items.

The MPV financing could also be coursed through the National Maritime Leasing Corp. (NMLC).

“In order for the acquisition to comply with the requirements for financing, the vessel that will be acquired shall also be used for other governmental purposes other than addressing AFP operational requirements,” an acquisition plan presented to the Department of National Defense said.

The plan also includes the lease-purchase option in which the lessor assumes all the costs and risks of building and maintaining the vessel for a certain period, after which the ownership will be transferred to the AFP.

The navy may also enter into a joint venture deal with private investors.

“What we would like to encourage is the Filipino’s spirit of bayanihan. We are encouraging the people’s participation in building this ship. We would like to encourage people to help us acquire this vessel, since it would perform mostly civilian functions,” Bacordo said.

Members and posters has been toying this idea so many times. We can shorten the time frame in acquiring one by applying this

Commercial Vessels to Naval Ships

Any savings made can then be used to buy medical eqiuipments needed to run the floating hospital.

Makes me wonder what is the status of the BRP Ang Pangulo.

When I last heard, it's under repair in Batangas but was hit by a fire.

Remember, the Japanese built it as a hospital ship and it just so happened that it was converted into the Presidential Yacht.

The ship may be 50 years old but it can still be used as hospital/C&C vessel. What it needs would be advanced communications systems to enable the President or the appointed field crisis manager to be able to communicate with Manila and units on the field on a real time basis.

Philippine Navy officers tasked to study the BRP Ang Pangulo's suitability as a hospital ship have found it wanting.

http://timawa.net/forum/index.php?topic=8043.0

A limited medical support capability already existed as far back as Erap's time -- no different from what any reasonably sized ship can be setup to do.

me mga recent pics po ba kayo ng barko?

Indeed, the Arroyo's government is filled with pro-modernization mentality people.

That "BRP Ang Pangulo" is too small for the government's many requirements. Beside they can afford to buy one, a much modern & capable ship, so its just a matter of being honest with political will this time to purchase this dream ship.

Therefore i'll go for a local-foreign joint venture, it is beneficial for us.

They should also name the ship after Dr. Jose Rizal.

The next one, if ever, name it after Tandang Sora.

:thumb:

Does this mean the Filipino people will have to CONTRIBUTE in acquisition of said vessel "SINCE IT WOULD PERFORM MOSTLY CIVILIAN FUNCTIONS"? Josme! eh di TAYONG MGA CIVILIANS BUMILI TAYO NG GANITONG VESSEL AT IPAHIRAM NATIN SA PHILIPPINE NAVY KUNG KAILANGAN NILA! Hehehehehehe! :lollol: :banana:

i can only say one thing about this new plan by the PN...



it's just another plan that will never materialize. kailangan pa bang i-memorize yan? :brrt:

Sorry but an LPD-17 San Antonio Class amphibious assault support vessel will be too expensive for the PN to acquire and maintain.

This ship was built from the keel up, to quote,"to embark, transport, land, and support elements of a US Marine Corps Landing Force". The ship's hospital is there primarily for the needs of wounded marines.

To date, cost overruns have put the price tag of the first two San Antonio class vessels to $ 1.7 and $1 billion respectively.

Even if Northrop Grumman gets it right and on budget, the price tag for an LPD-17 vessel will be at least $ 750 million. We can get 25 to 30 F-16's at this price! Or you can get 3 modern, fully-loaded missile corvettes.

The vessel alone is only half the cost. An LPD-17 would need extensive repair and maintenance facilities which the PN does not currently have. To be conservative, tack in another $ 250 million in facilities and the total acquisition cost is now at least $ 1 billion dollars.

I AGREE!!!

WE HAD THIS TOPIC BEFORE, I THINK IT IS MORE ECONOMICAL TO CONVERT SOME COMMERCIAL SHIPS TO MULTIPURPOSE SHIPS...

If the PN do buy this multi-purpose ship, wouldn't Tandang Sora be a better name for it or BRP Bayanihan or Tagalog word for Mercy ?

thats right sir :ssalute:

Mas realistic siguro kung isang modern container ship na medyo modified. We could use those eyesores na mga containers sa harap ng Malacanang and turn them into mobile clinics or operating rooms.

I think we should build one but since we have a lot of problems i think 1 of ten that can't happen

We have it on good authority that the purchase of the ship has already been programmed into equipment acquisition plan. It is the culmination of years of proposals and planning. The FOIC has finally signed off on it.

The specific ship has already been selected, and will satisfy a variety of both civilian and military needs. The navy men on the forum to elaborate.

Excellent news.

Any timeframe? An Endurance-class by any chance?

Could have been very useful right this very moment moored off Basilan.

The last PN Hospital ship was BRP Pag-Ibig (BU-81) the ship was stricken together with BRP Nueva Vizcaya (PS80) and BRP Davao Oriental (LT506) during a typhoon that hit Zambo City. All ships where docked on pier and tied together but the typhoon was so strong it sunk one of the ship and this produce a chain reaction of pulling the remaining 2.

:headbang:

If one looks at the fine print. It's theoretically a non combatant that has the attributes of a naval warfare type ship. (3 choppers + 3 docking boats ! Sounds very familiar like a small LHD type :)) anyway seems like the DND has found interesting ways to finance acquisitions of certain types by classifying certain assets as non combatant socio-civic type craft. This opens up a whole new way of financing said acquisitions.

Any news about this planned acquisition?

Should be a hero or heroine who used to treat the injured Katipuneros. Was Tandang Sora one of them?

As for the hospital ship, IT'S A WONDERFUL IDEA.

There are a lot of areas denied of health service or neglected. There are many inhabitted islands in our country that dont have hospitals or health centers. An example is the Fuga Island, north of Tuguegarao. The people there arent being given proper health care by the government. 50% of babies born die due to lack of medical service or healthcare.

We can use the Navy's hospital ship to finally ensure that no isolated island is denied of the needed health service.

Add to that the areas affected by calamities.

We can also use the hospital ship to serve as our representatives in aiding calamity-stricken nations like in the case of India and Thailand that were hit by powerful tsunamis some years back.

The hospital ship will indeed have a lot of uses.

We should all support it.

As for the concern on building it, we can simply ask FBMA or Hanjin-Philippines to build one for us. Simply convert the commercial ships to be fitted with hospital beds and ERs, etc, and be designed to support or carry rescue helicopters and amphibiuos vehicles like hovercrafts that run on any surface.

BRP Tandang Sora is indeed a fitting name.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melchora_Aquino

I'm just a bit confused as to why the PN will want a hospital ship cum command and control center.

Isn't the Command and control center the primary target in any armed confrontation ?

The wounded will therefore be in graver danger rather than in a safer place in the hospital / command and control center ship :dunno:

That's a wrong idea.

Turning it intoa command and control post will surely attract undue attention and will ENDANGER THE SHIP and MEDICAL PERSONNEL plus the PATIENTS.

A hospital ship is also supposed to be a command and control post during natural disaster rescue operations.

If that's the case, then certainly yes.

Otherwise, that will instead endanger the noncombatants and the patients.

MRV nga nsya kung tutuusin. i convert na lang kaya ang isang seaworthy na commercial vessel particularly yung reputable ang constructor. probably she will be the biggest PN ship

It's part of the package. the islamist and the red will not respect the medical nature of the ship anyway

The way I see it tells me that your idea will only make it worse since the rebels will be encouraged further to attack the ship.

I suggest we keep it noncombatant as much as possible.

To secure the ship and its people and the patients, a team from NSOG reinforced by Marines should serve as security shield for the ship.

The Marines will provide the normal security work.

The NSOG will provide hostage-rescue, and handle special ops if in case the lives of the crew and the patients gets endangered.

The NSOG can as well conduct rescue ops when one of its people are taken hostage or kidnapped.

When docked, the ship should be guarded by gunboats and any means of securing it like electronic, surveillance and sonar-based detection should be applied.

Why the NSOG? The PN has its own units handling security.

For rescue missions or hostage-situations and preempting enemy underwater demolition jobs.

That's the duty of a security unit and no need for a Special Forces Team. The NSOG is better off doing other special tasks. :armywink:

If the security team can ensure they can handle bomb threats including underwater ops, and hostage-takings, then it's okay. :armycheers:

They need the NSOG though when in really hot areas.

Am just wondering why we would need to have a hospital ship. wouldn't it be much easier and cost effective to airlift the casualties from the field hospitals in basilan/sulu to better equiped hospitals zamboanga, davao or cebu ?

the US has hospital ships because the US act as the global policemen and it is likely that their boys will be sent to some god-foresaken locale where access to US type medical care will be impossible.

Try reading the first post of this thread...

what's the lest about this plan? :dunno:

Apparently mukhang nagkakatotoo na nga si si ORLY. It was last year's report, until now wala paring nangyayari. :armyroleyes:

yup. I did that before making my posts.

Am still of the opinion that, yes it would be nice to have a hospital ship but it is not so important or of much use for us now. It is therefore an extravagance we can ill-afford.

Our armed forces are currently not in the business of invading hostile countries but of ridding certain locales of insurgencies within the philippines.

Medical care which is beyond the capabilities of the field hospitals is therefore a short flying distance away from the field hospitals/dressing stations.

couldbe because the cost-effectiveness is being studied still. nonetheless, sana nga di ito haggang drawing board lang.

If I may add,

You have a point there, gen1.

In fact the Coast Guard has 3 ships of this type but it can only accomodate a few.

In the bigger application, the Navy's own that has around a hundred hospital bed and a fully equipped ER doing major surgeries will be cost-effective.

Imagine the cost of flying a chopper from Basilan to the V-Luna Hospital in Manila?

What if we need more sorties to ferry the injured and those in critical condition?

Remember ColVillanueva who died due to an ill-equipped facility?

How about the many more who aren't as camera-attractive as the senior Marine officer?

Are their lives less important than the cost of the hospital ship?

A C130 would need 250 thousand pesos per sortie.

For 4 sorties a week, that's 1 million pesos. For 4 weeks, that's 4 million. For the whole year, that's 48 million pesos.

For 10 years, that's 480 million.

What if we use the C130 for ferrying victims of calamities that needs to be treated in hospitals in the major cities?

Now, which is cheaper? The airlifting of patients or the hospital ship that can handle a hundred persons a day and do ER operations plus it can stay in the area to serve the next hundred?

What about the fact that our nation sits in the typhoon belt?

What about the fact that our soldiers are busy risking life and limb in the field every day?

I think these are enough to pursue the hospital ship procurement.

We have the money anyway.

Even the Office of the President, the Cmdr in Chief, has billions of pesos of funds at its disposal.

Who says, we dont have the money?

Why not cut the allowances of the senior staff? Why not divert the pork barrel fund to buying this ship?

The hospital ship a luxury?

So treating the wounded soldiers or the victims is more of a luxury than an urgency?

Which is luxury by the way, allowing the Generals play golf in Camp Aguinaldo or treating the wounded?