Upgrading of ambulance network of LGU-P’sinan hospitals completed
CAPITOL NEWS
Lingayen- – – The present administration’s lofty goal to fully improve and upgrade the ambulance network of all 14 provincial government hospitals has taken place.
From only one ambulance unit per community hospital in 2007, community hospitals now have an average of three ambulances while the district hospitals have four each.
“This is just one of the projects of the whole health thrust package envisioned by Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr. in providing quality health care to Pangasinenses,” said Dr. Anna Maria Teresa De Guzman, Provincial Health Office chief, as she disclosed that even with only one unit per hospital, these ambulances of the 14 hospitals in the previous administration were not capable to transport patients outside Pangasinan during emergency cases.
While the buildings of the 14 hospitals were renovated during the first term of Governor Espino, the ambulance units were also upgraded, Dr. De Guzman said noting that the old ones were reconditioned in 2008, the first set of brand new ambulances were purchased in 2009 through the 60-40 scheme with the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and a donation of another brand new unit from the European Commission in 2010.
An initial distribution of six ambulances took place last January 18 with the following hospitals as recipients: Western Pangasinan District Hospital (WPDH), Bayambang District Hospital (BDH), Lingayen District Hospital (LDH), Bolinao Community Hospital (BCH) and Pozorrubio Community Hospital (PCH) and Dasol Community Hospital (DCH).
On February 1, the second batch of eight brand new Toyota Hi-Ace GL Grandia ambulances were turned-over to the remaining eight provincial government hospitals to include the following: Pangasinan Provincial Hospital, Eastern Pangasinan District Hospital, Urdaneta District Hospital, Mangatarem District Hospital, Mapandan Community Hospital, Manaoag Community Hospital, Asingan Community Hospital and Umingan Community Hospital.
The PHO chief stressed that with the newly-purchased ambulances, the provincial government plans to install each unit of various medical equipment such as cardiac monitors which are more convenient considering the size of the new ambulances.
The ambulances, De Guzman said, can be utilized for free in transporting patients within the province. Patients that need to be transported outside the province are requested to shoulder the gasoline.
Earlier, Provincial Accountant Arturo Soriano disclosed that around P13 million were allocated for the purchase of the first six ambulances while the second batch of eight units of the same brand amounted to about P17.6 million.
Joining the Governor in awarding the second batch of ambulances were Vice Governor Jose Ferdinand Z. Calimlim, Jr., Board Member and Liga ng mga Barangay president Amado “Pogi” I. Espino III, and Board Member Danilo Uy.
Rev. Fr. Dexter Carino, Director of St. Columban’s College, officiated the blessing of the vehicles. (Ruby R. Bernardino)
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