Pangasinan gets P.6 billion grant

LINGAYEN ---- The province of  Pangasinan is a recipient of the Department of Health (DOH)’s P579-million grant for the upgrading of infrastructures and hospital equipment of the government-owned hospitals including the rural health units (RHUs) in various towns.
 Dra. Ana Theresa de Guzman, provincial health officer, said this in line with the DOH’s Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP) in partnership with local government units (LGUs) which seeks to upgrade the health care facilities in the country in a bid to provide quality health services to the people.
 Likewise, de Guzman said it complements with Gov. Amado T. Espino, Jr’s advocacy on health care as his main thrust in local governance having the biggest chunk in the provincial budget for the improvement and renovations of all hospital buildings and other health care programs.
 Chosen as one of the recipients of the DOH program, Dra. de Guzman said the
amount, P276 million has been allotted for this year 2013 while the remaining P303 million is intended for the projects aligned next year.
 For the current year, the amount of P124.9 million intended for infrastructure has already been released to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) as implementing agency while various hospital equipment worth P151 million are now being released to the LGUs.
 The recipients of the DOH grant to the Pangasinan for this year include four government-owned hospitals and 57 RHUs, a record showed.
 Dra. de Guzman said the PHO is set to submit to the DOH the proposed infrastructure projects and hospital equipment which would cover the P303 million grant to the province next year.
 The grant will benefit the 13 government hospitals, 6 RHUs and 15 barangay health stations including those in the far-flung barangays or called the Geographically Isolated and Depressed Areas (GIDA).
 The proposed projects include the constructions of hospital waste and water treatment facilities, construction of new building for surgery ward, medical ward and intensive care unit, expansion of operating room, renovation of water reservoir, among others.
 In Pangasinan Provincial Hospital (PPH), P20 million worth of infrastructures have been programmed next year. These include the renovation of old x-ray building, repair of existing medical ward building, and construction of nephro ward building. As for the hospital equipment, Dra. de Guzman has requested a CT scan for the PPH. Records showed that Pangasinan has already received a total grant of P1.8 billion from the European Commission (EC) and DOH since 2007 for the upgrading of health care facilities in Pangasinan. (Merly R. Tibalao/PIO)