Capitol Opens P23-M CT-Scan Machine at Carcar Provincial Hospital

Poor patients in southern Cebu will now be free from inconvenience of going to Cebu City to undergo a Computerized Tomography Scan (CT-Scan) as the services are now available at the Carcar City Provincial Hospital.

Last Friday, June 7, 2019, Gov. Hilario P. Davide III led the turnover ceremony of the P23-million medical equipment as part of the Provincial Health Office’s (PHO) efforts to upgrade the 16 hospitals run by the Province.

Funds for the procurement of the CT-Scan came from Capitol’s budget.

“This will be of great help to our poor patients. Our administration of Vice Gov. Agnes A. Magpale envisions to bring quality health care services to the people and we are fulfilling our promise,” Davide said.

Also in the pipeline of PHO’s projects is the purchase of the same equipment for the other provincial hospitals in the cities of Danao and Bogo and in Balamban town to cater the needs of patients in northern Cebu.

Under Davide’s Six-Key Development Agenda, health is the top priority in the list.

Aside from the CT-Scan, the Carcar Provincial Hospital has been getting major improvements in its facilities since 2013.

The hospital now has a P20-million intensive care rooms for adults and infants, which are in operation since 2017.

It is also equipped with laparoscopy machines and can perform cataract and knee replacement surgeries.

A P111-million six-storey building also broke ground last January to increase the hospital’s bed capacity.

One of the legacies the outgoing governor will leave behind to the Cebuanos is making the services of all Capitol-run hospitals free regardless of one’s economic status.

Last year, Davide signed the ordinance amending the Province’s Revenue Code that provides free hospitalization to everyone. This is in preparation for the implementation of the Universal Health Care Law (UHCL) signed by President Rodrigo Duterte early this year.

Before the UHCL’s approval, the Provincial Government adopted the point of care program in which indigent patients who did not have health insurance were automatically enrolled to Philhealth once they sought medical care in the provincial and district hospitals.

With Capitol’s health care programs, Cebu was chosen as a pilot area for the implementation of the UHCL, said PHO Chief Dr. Rene Catan.

Last Friday, the turnover ceremony was attended by Dr. Catan and Philhealth President Roy Ferrer, as well as doctors and hospital administrators. (Cebu Provincial Govt.)