GIFT OF HEALTH. Mayor Pamintuan receives assorted medical equipment worth $500,000 from the World Medical Relief Inc. represented by Dr. David Zerate, Philippine coordinator of the organization (in coat) and Atty. Nick Moldes (second from left).
Recipient of the donation is the Rafael Lazatin Memorial Medical Center headed by Dr. Antonio Dizon (left). Looking on is Councilor Alex Indiongco. Photo by Bong Z. Lacson
ANGELES CITY— Some P20 million ($500,000) worth of medical equipment and supplies from Michigan, USA donated by the World Medical Relief Foundation Inc. (WMRFI) arrived at the city hall yesterday.
On hand to receive the medical donation was Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan who welcomed WMRFI National Coordinator Dr. David Zarate who turned over the shipment during yesterday’s flag raising ceremony.
In his speech, Pamintuan thanked the WMRFI for continuously supporting Angelenos by donating much needed medical equipment. The world-class mayor underscored the need to modernize the Rafael Lazatin Memorial Medical Center (RLMMC) to make it at par with tertiary hospitals in Manila.
The latest shipment consists of dialysis machines, operating tables, beds and other medical supplies.
“Our dream of having dialysis machines in our own public hospital is now a reality,” said the mayor.
He added that the RLMMC will become a provider of quality health care not only for Angeleños but also for people in neighboring municipalities.
He said a Cancer Center will soon be established at the RLMMC.
For his part, Zarate said “Angeles City and Mayor Pamintuan have a special place in the heart of (WMRFI) president George Samson,” hence the priority the city is given when it comes to donations.
He said WMRFI is set to donate a mobile PET-CT Scan to the RLMMC which is only the third of such kind in the country. The Positron Emission
Tomography – computed tomography (better known by its acronym PET-CT or PET/CT) is a medical imaging technique which combines a CT scan and an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).
The first to have a PET-CT Scan is St. Luke’s Medical Center in Metro Manila and the second was delivered in Butuan City through the WMRFI.
Zarate said the PET-CT Scan is needed in order to establish a Cancer Center for the RLMMC. He said a regular session with the PET-CT Scan can cost around P80,000 to P100,000 at the St. Like’s Medical Center.
Pamintuan said the Cancer Center wil be a big help in modernizing the RLMMC.
Also present during the ceremony were RLMMC Director Dr. Tony Dizon, WMRFI’s Atty. Nick Moldez as well as other medical practitioners from the RLMMC.
