To better serve Filipinos, particularly those with cancer, the University of the Philippines—Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) unveiled its latest cutting-edge facility and equipment which will be used by its Central Intensive Care Unit (CENICU).
There are 12 units for pediatric patients and 20 units for adult patients in the CENICU will be made available. A bed, a monitor, and other equipment required for patient care are also provided in each unit.
Adult and pediatric patients who may be impoverished or have the means to pay can access the Central Intensive Care Unit (CENICU) and Positron Emission Tonography-Computed Tonography (PET-CT) scan technology, according to UP-PGH director Gerardo Legaspi.
Helping the indigent
Patients in intensive care units often spend PHP160,000 a day for services provided by doctors, along with equipment such as a respirator, a monitoring machine, antibiotics, and medications.
At the UP-PGH, patients who pay at least PHP40,000 for PET-CT scan examinations can now obtain comparable treatments for free or at a discounted cost.
“Nakita niyo naman ‘yung design. Dinesign iyon para bumaba ang intention rate, number one, pangalawa para mas maging komportable ang mga patients," Legaspi said.
For charity patients, according to Legaspi, no balance billing applies even if it reaches a million.
One of the firsts in the country
While the new equipment costs about PHP150 million, the hospital intends to provide such tests or services at the lowest cost in the nation.
The technology enables quicker procedures for each patient and offers greater resolution imaging for more precise cancer diagnosis.
“Sa gobyerno ito palang ang pangalawang facility, NKTI [National Kidney and Transplant Institute] 'yung isa, pero sa gobyerno ito ‘yung unang una binili ng gobiyerno,” said Legaspi.
It might also be applied to the diagnosis of various neurologic, cardiologic, infectious, and inflammatory diseases.
