Villar donates equipment to Las Piñas hospital

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Cynthia Villar has donated equipment to the Las Piñas General Hospital and Satellite Trauma Center (LPGH & STC) to boost its capability to care for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.

She recently turned over a passbox, biological freezer, biological refrigerator, autoclave sterilizer and ventilator to the hospital.

“Now, more than ever, it is crucial for our local hospitals to have the necessary equipment and facilities to cope with COVID-19 cases on top of their regular patients,” she said.

“The pandemic is putting so much pressure on hospitals and frontliners, we need to support and equip them,” said Villar, who has been supporting her home city’s hospital since she was a congresswoman.

She authored Republic Act 9240 in 2004 that converted the then Las Piñas District Hospital into LPGH & STC and increased the bed capacity of the hospital from 50 then to the present 200 beds.

She recently filed Senate Bill 143 to increase in the bed capacity of LPGH & STC from the present 200 to 500 beds and upgrade its service facilities and professional healthcare services.

The proposed bill has been approved in the Senate. A counterpart measure at the House of Representative, authored by Las Piñas Rep. Camille Villar, was passed last March 2.

The senator has earmarked P500 million this year to fund the expansion of LPGH & STC. The construction of the additional eight-story building is slated to be finished next year. Last year, she also channelled P144 million to purchase the land and start the hospital building’s construction.

Villar said the hospital’s expansion would provide separate buildings for COVID-19 and non-COVID patients to avoid the spread of the virus.