Government turns over P98.4 million financial aid to PGH

MANILA, Philippines — After a fire destroyed a portion of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Manila, Sen. Bong Go visited the facility to witness the ceremonial turnover of financial assistance and funding for equipment support from the Office of the President.

“This is the fulfillment of a promise we made after the PGH was hit by fire in May. I told Dr. (Gerardo) Legaspi then to just tell us what I and President Duterte could do to help, especially in terms of destroyed equipment. The most important thing for us is to bring the hospital back to normal operations at the soonest,” Go said in Filipino.

The assistance, a total of P98.4 million, consists of three major parts: P25 million per month, an amount that can be replenished for the purchase of prescription medicines, medical supplies, diagnostic tests and other hospital care services as well as support for the hospital’s indigent and financially incapacitated patients; P53 million in financial aid for the procurement of two units each of steam sterilizers, ethylene oxide sterilizers and vaporized hydrogen peroxide sterilizers; and P20.4 million for the purchase of instruments that include an anesthesia machine, a hepatectomy set and VP Shunt set.

The funds were sourced from the Office of the President through its Socio-Civic Projects Fund.

President Duterte ordered last May 18, or two days after the fire hit the facility, the Department of Public Works and Highways to immediately initiate repairs of the damaged parts.

He also directed National Task Force against COVID-19 chief implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. and deputy chief implementer Vince Dizon to further assess the situation and the damage inflicted by the fire.

The turnover ceremony was led by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and attended by Deputy Executive Secretary for finance and administration Rizalina Justol, presidential assistant for the Visayas Secretary Michael Lloyd Diño and Assistant Secretary Girlie Veloso of the Office of the President.

Aside from attending the ceremony, Go sent aid and sustenance to the affected PGH patients, including those that were temporarily transferred to the Sta. Ana Hospital.

He also offered to help any patient or staff member in need of further medical assistance, and advised them to avail of the services from the government through the Malasakit Center at PGH.

The Malasakit Center is a one-stop shop which hosts government agencies –Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Philippine Health Insurance Corp. and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office – with programs that provide medical assistance to poor Filipino patients.

Go, chairman of the Senate committee on health, promised to recommend a higher budget for the PGH in the next fiscal period in order to hasten its rehabilitation.

He also filed Senate Resolution 733 to commend and honor the medical staff for their courage in doing a safe and orderly evacuation of patients, especially the infants hospitalized at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.