Group donates medical equipment to province

A CEBU-based humanitarian group, in cooperation with two charitable organizations based in the United States, donated medical equipment and supplies to the Cebu provincial government on Wednesday.

Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and Destiny Medical Fund Inc. president Ma. Emma Ramas signed a deed of donation for the laboratory and orthopedic equipment such as syringes, diapers, wound care supplies, cover gowns, surgical caps, coveralls, diabetic supplies, mattresses, drapes, canes, hospital beds and wheelchairs, which will be turned over to the provincial hospitals of Danao City, Carcar City, Bogo City and Minglanilla town.

Destiny Medical Fund received the donated items abroad through the efforts of UK-based foundation Together Against Cancer and The 3000 Club in Phoenix, Arizona.

Garcia said the charities asked the provincial government to ensure that the donated items will be provided for free to the indigenous patients of hospitals.

Together Against Cancer president Larry Mckay, who started visiting the Philippines in 1999 as a Christian minister, said he chose the country as a recipient of the donations because Filipinos possess great personality traits, but still have a lot of needs, like healthcare.

He said that in his last visit to one of the city’s hospitals, he saw the plight of 3,000 patients crowding on an 800-bedroom facility.

“Everytime there’s a new equipment model in the US, they replace it and trash the old, usable ones. We decided instead to rescue it and ship it to third world countries,” he said.

Mckay’s other charity, Cancer Aid and Research Fund in New York, also ships medical equipment to Guatemala.

He said more donations will come as 45 container vans in Phoenix, Arizona were loaded anew with medical equipment. /Correspondent Peter L. Romanillos