SAN CARLOS CITY, Pangasinan -“If I will leave a legacy for our beloved province, it will be something that is connected with health,” said Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr. as he led the inauguration and blessing of the new 16-slice CT scan recently at the PPH ER-Lab complex located at the Pangasinan Provincial Hospital in barangay Bolingit here.
The new CT scan is the 18th high quality medical equipment installed by the present administration at the PPH under a Private-Public-Partnership (PPP) scheme specifically with HIMEX Corporation which is based in Manila in order to significantly improve the delivery of health care ervices to patients needing the said unit of equipment.
Gov. Espino said the provision of state-of-the-art brand new equipment (Hitachi model: Supria 16 slices) will serve as highly beneficial to all sick and poor Pangasinenses who could barely afford the cost of treatment offered by private hospitals.
The governor disclosed that the cost to be collected on regular paying patients will be much lower as compared with other hospitals. However, indigent patients he said, need not worry of any fee provided that they are covered with PhilHealth and the Point-of-Care program which was launched under his administration to look after the welfare of sick and poor Pangasinenses.
Under the PPP scheme, the provincial government did not pay any amount to HIMEX Corporation as the latter will be paid on a monthly basis based on a profit scheme.
As such, Gov. Espino said that same equipment will likewise be provided in the three district hospitals located in Alaminos City, Urdaneta, and Tayug.
Rema Padilla Ohno, President and CEO of HIMEX Corporation, thanked the provincial government headed by Gov. Espino for giving its full trust on their company.
Ohno commended the leadership of the governor as she said that HIMEX is looking forward to more projects with the provincial government after being trusted with 18 PPPs.
Meanwhile, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan in its regular session last March 9 has amended Provincial Ordinance No. 19-2015 by including addendums on tax concerning the policies and fees covering the newly-installed CT scan procedure.
Dr. Policarpio Manuel, PPH Chief of Hospital II, said before the installation of the new equipment, series of dry runs for a period of one month were conducted.
As explained by PHO Chief Anna Maria Teresa de Guzman, patients who will be benefited by the state-of-the art machine are those who suffered from strokes, accidents, and abdominal problems that are hardly detected through ultrasound.
Dr. Jeremy “Ming” Rosario, Asst. PHO Chief, said the new 16-slice brand new CT scan procedure offered by the province has the lowest rate in the entire region as he bared that other hospital rates range from P6,000 to P7,500.
Also present during the inauguration rite are SP Members Raul P. Sison and Generoso Tulagan, Jr.
Espino said the provincial government will continue to invest in the purchase of added units of equipment in the different hospitals managed by the local government in order to improve the delivery of health services to the people of the province in the future.
By Dexter A. See
