STATE-OF-THE-ART ICU. A nurse manipulates a monitor installed in one of the 32 rooms at the Central Intensive Care Unit (CENICU) inside the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) on Tuesday (Aug. 13, 2024). The UP-PGH formally opened the CENICU and the Positron Emission Tonography-Computed Tonography (PET-CT) Center to provide cancer patients and other patients needing accurate diagnosis of disease entities of neurology cardiology, infection, and inflammation. (PNA photo by Ma. Teresa P. Montemayor)
MANILA – The University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) on Tuesday launched its state-of-the-art facility and equipment to provide quality health services to Filipinos, especially cancer patients.
UP-PGH director Gerardo Legaspi said the Central Intensive Care Unit (CENICU) and Positron Emission Tonography-Computed Tonography (PET-CT) scan equipment are open for use adult and pediatric patients who may be indigent or have the capacity to pay.
The CENICU has 20 units for adult patients and 12 units for pediatric patients. Each of the units is furnished with a bed, monitor, and other tools needed for treatment of patients.
“Nakita niyo naman ‘yung design. Dinesign iyon para bumaba ang intention rate, number one, pangalawa para mas maging komportable ang mga patients (You’ve seen the design. They are designed to decrease the intention rate, number one, second, for patients to be comfortable),” Legaspi told reporters on the sidelines of the launch.
“For charity patients, no balance billing applies even if you reach PHP1 million as long as you’re indigent.”
He said ICU patients usually pay PHP160,000 per day including the respirator, monitoring machine, antibiotics, medicines and doctors’ services.
Patients who spend at least PHP40,000 for PET-CT scan tests can now receive similar services for free or at a lower price at the UP-PGH.
The hospital plans to offer such tests or services at the lowest rate in the country with its new equipment which costs around PHP150 million.
“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 (In the government, this is the second facility, the other one is NKTI, but this is the first government-procured). Target is one hour per patient for the procedure so in a regular office hours eight patients but I'm sure we will extend,” Legaspi said.
The equipment allows faster procedure per patient and provides higher resolution imaging for more accurate or diagnosis of cancer.
It could also be used in diagnosing other disease entities of neurology cardiology, infection, and inflammation.
As for enough nurses to man the new facilities, Legaspi disclosed that the hospital also experiences lack of nurses “but for some reasons, it receives many applicants for the vacancies”.
“We have made our case with the DBM [Department of Budget and Management] based on the plantilla positions allotted for government hospitals like PGH with 1,500 beds, bibigyan pa kame ng (we will be given) additional 157 nurses. They have agreed to give it after we agreed to submit the necessary requirements,” he said. (PNA)
