Gov't hospitals get P797 M

Queen Sofia of Spain has given a Spanish grant of P797 million to the Philippines, her country's colony for more than 300 years, to upgrade government hospitals.

According to Interior Secretary Alfredo Lim, the money will benefit at least two city hospitals and 19 provincial hospitals under the Hospital Equipment Assistance Program.

Among the health institutions that will receive the grant are the Doña Gregoria Memorial Hospital in Agoo, La Union, the provincial hospitals in Abra, Ifugao Laguna, Masbate, Iloilo, Siquijor, Biliran, Cotabato, the Dr. Jose Locsin Memorial Hospital in Silay City, Negros Occidental;

The Alfredo Maranon Memorial Hospital in Sagay City, the Mariano Jesus Cuenco Memorial Hospital in Cebu City, the Aurora General Hospital in Zamboanga de Sur and the Quezon City General Hospital.

The Philippine General Hospital (PGH) was also a recipient of a $15-million soft loan from the Queen. It will be used to buy modern equipment for its department of emergency medical services.

The department treats more than 80,000 patients every year, most of who are poor and critically ill.

Another PGH-based project being considered for assistance by Spain is the setting up of the Jose Rizal Eye Center - a comprehensive facility for the diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases.

The Queen, who is on a three-day working visit in Manila, also toured Malacañang's Dialysis Center for the Poor.

She was pleased to learn that the facility provides totally free dialysis treatment for the indigent.

At the time of her visit there, seven patients were undergoing treatment, among them were a 19-year-old male from Manila and a 22-year-old man from Bacolod City.

In a short briefing, Queen Sofia was informed that the center, which opened in July 1999, has seven dialysis machines and could serve 10 patients at two shifts daily.

Earlier, the Queen inaugurated the Friendship Home for the Abandoned, Abused and Orphaned children under the supervision of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

The home was founded by Spanish priest Fr. Luis Amigo and it provides skills training, shelter, scholarships and social welfare projects for children.

Funded principally by Spanish donors like the Agencia de Español de Cooperacion de Internacional, the facility is its second friendship home in the country. --