VSMMC soon to be heart, lung, kidney center

Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center will soon be the heart, lung and kidney center in the Visayas, according to Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque.

Duque, in his speech during the 110th Independence Day celebration, said VSMMC is already prepared for upgrading to make it the regional blood, lung and kidney center in the Visayas.

He said the move is part of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s campaign in which DOH hospitals will be upgraded so as to give better services to the patients.

Duque said DOH has allocated P1.5 billion to upgrade some 77 hospitals in the country listed under the Hospital Upgrading Program. VSMMC is one of the hospitals that will benefit from the fund.

“May 37 probinsyang tinatawag nating F1 convergence sites. Mayroon tayong P1.5 billion ngayong taon para sa 77 ospital sa ibat-ibang probinsya na tutulongan sa ilalim ng hospital upgrading program. Kasama dito ang VSMMC na ating inihahanda bilang regional heart, lung and kidney center sa buong Visayas region,” he said.

“We will continue to work toward health and progress, peace and stability and a better life for the Filipino people. Freedom from want and poverty, freedom from disease and health inequities,” he added.

Duque also cited President Arroyo’s current Social Reform Agenda (SRA) that focuses on three key strategies to address the current economic plight.

First, increasing investments in people and infrastructure; second, transparency and good governance to clean up corruption and red tape in government; and third, easing the burden of the global price increases in food and energy through targeted relief to the poorest sectors.

Among the aid to the poor given by the administration under the SRA’s third strategy is the comprehensive Accelerated Hunger Mitigation Program that targets 20 poorest provinces in the country; conditional cash transfers to the 100,000 poorest families through the ‘Ahon Pamilyang Pinoy’ Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development; pushing for the tax exemption of minimum wage workers; NFA rice subsidy and distribution in the poorest barangays of 1,200 bags per week; the modernization of agriculture to help our farmers increase productivity; the low-cost PAG-IBIG housing program of VP Noli de Castro; and the recent P500 government subsidy for the power costs of families with monthly consumption of less than 100 kilowatt-hour.

Duque also led yesterday’s inauguration of the VSMMC’s emergency operating room, emergency room sub-critical area, optha-ENT ward and the PCR Laboratory. — Jasmin R. Uy/LPM