By NITZ ARANCON Correspondent THE government would spend P70.5 million to expand the city hallun JR Borja Memorial General Hospital that is aiming to provide tertiary medical care in the city. The fund would come from the Department of Health while the City Engineer’s Office would supervise the construction of what would become the north wing of local government hospital. The construction project is scheduled start this August. Mayor Oscar Moreno yesterday led health officials and other city officials in breaking the ground for the project. Dr. Nimfa Torrizo, DOH director for northern Mindanao, said the health department set aside P40.5 million for the project in 2016 and another P30 million this year for the construction of the the three-story North Wing Building of the city hospital. The building would house an operating room, and the city hospital’s out-patient department and administrative offices,  among others. Dr. Ramon Nery, the hospital’s director, said the project would boost city hall’s bid to upgrade the city hospital’s category. The aim is to make it a tertiary hospital or a recognized medical center by the end of 2018. The city hospital currently provides primary care, usually for minor health issues, although it is also capable of providing  secondary level care like advanced diagnostic services. A tertiary status would mean specialization focusing on particular types of medical problems. Moreno said the improvements in the city hospital and its upgrading are a “fulfillment of the dream of the late mayor  Justiniano Borja” who laid the foundations of the city hospital.