Manila opens 7th district hospital

MANILA, Philippines — The Manila city government has opened the President Corazon C. Aquino General Hospital, its seventh district hospital, which will benefit residents of Baseco Compound, one of the city’s poorest communities.

Mayor Isko Moreno, who led the inauguration of the facility yesterday, said the three-story hospital would be able to cater to the needs of an estimated 80,000 residents.

“This is also a day that frees Baseco residents from the hardship of seeking medical attention. You are truly free because here it is, the hospital is now your neighbor,” Moreno said in Filipino.

He said naming the newest hospital after Aquino, the country’s first woman president and an icon of democracy, signifies that politics should not get in the way of public service.

Moreno appealed to Baseco residents to be patient with doctors and nurses who look after many people and who have little resources and support from government.

“Let us all understand that they are also human. They get tired and lack sleep, and no matter how good our doctors and nurses are, they will not be able to do much if they do not have the resources,” Moreno said.

The 50-bed President Corazon C. Aquino General Hospital is equipped with an emergency room, digital x-ray, centralized oxygen supply line and full departments including maternity, pediatrics, surgery and internal medicine.