A total of 28 brand-new dialysis machines were turned over to the city government on Monday, bringing the Manila City government a step closer to realizing Mayor Joseph Estrada’s campaign pledge of setting up a dialysis center for the poor.
The equipment were donated by officials of Barangay (village) 128, Zone 10 in Tondo, Manila, who also bought seven ambulances. “The barangay council was able to generate accumulated savings of about P30 million so we used it to buy our own fire truck and ambulance,” barangay chair Sigfred Hernane told the Inquirer.
They also built a covered court and then used the remaining amount to buy the dialysis machines and ambulances. “I consulted Vice Mayor [Francisco ‘Isko Moreno’ Domagoso] about the remaining amount in our savings and he suggested that we use it to help poor patients who can’t afford costly dialysis sessions,” he added.
Estrada said the new equipment would be used for the new Manila Renal Center, which the city government hoped to build before the end of the year. The ambulances, on the other hand, would be distributed among the city’s six government hospitals.—Maricar B. Brizuela