• CHERYL G. CRUZ
Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Benitez received from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. a state-of-the-art ambulance, or patient transport vehicle (PTV), during distribution rites Sept. 19 in Passi City, Iloilo.
Bacolod is one of the 51 beneficiaries of the PTVs in Western Visayas. Each ambulance is equipped with a stretcher, oxygen tank, and blood pressure monitor, among other medical equipment, the Presidential Communications Office said.
The PTV will provide timely and safe transportation of patients to and from medical facilities. “The vehicles will also serve as a lifeline to bridge the gaps during emergencies and calamities.”
“Dako guid ini nga bulig sa aton kampanya sa pagpasanyog sang health services sa Bacolod,” Benitez said in a post as he thanked Marcos for this healthcare investment.
Marcos said the purchase of ambulances is “part of the bigger picture where we are upscaling the preparedness and response to calamities and disasters at both the local and at the national level.”
“In delivering those services, every second matters and these vehicles will ensure that help will arrive without delay. Because our work is about prompt action. Healthcare is about prompt action,” he stressed.
Marcos said he approved a P2.2 billion budget this year for the purchase of 1,000 ambulances to be distributed nationwide. From June 30, 2022 to Sept. 11 this year, 416 PTVs have been distributed to LGU beneficiaries from all regions, except the National Capital Region.
He vowed to continue investing in the healthcare needs of Filipinos. “We promise, one day, every town and city will be equipped with fully-operational PTVs and medical responders on standby.”
The vehicles are being handed over to local recipients through the Medical Transport Vehicle Donation Program (MTVDP) of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.
Launched in 2019, the program aims to improve healthcare delivery in underserved areas by donating medical transport vehicles to LGUs at the provincial, city, and municipal levels, with priority given to vulnerable communities and geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas, the PCO said. | CGC
