GSIS inaugurates modern hospital gear at Perpetual

The Government Service Insurance System yesterday inaugurated its state-of-the-art magnetic resonance imaging and CT scan machines that it donated to the Perpetual Succour Hospital as part of the GSIS Hospitalization Support Program (GHSP) for its members in the Visayas and Mindanao.

GSIS president and general manager Winston Garcia and other top executives of the state pension fund attended the inauguration and blessing of the equipment.

The MRI, formerly referred to as magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) or nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), is a method used to visualize the internal organs of a person as well as to detect the amount of bound water in geological structures.

It is primarily used to demonstrate pathological or other physiological alterations of living tissues and is a commonly used form of medical imaging. MRI has also found many novel applications outside of the medical and biological fields such as rock permeability to hydrocarbons and certain non-destructive testing methods such as timber quality characterization.

A brainchild of Garcia, the GHSP provides significant discounts for members who seek consultation or treatment from GSIS hospitals.

"Through this program, members can save a lot in their hospital bills because of the discounts that they can avail from the program. What they have to do is just to waive their e-cards to this hospital. The discount is on top of the discount that they will also get from Philhealth," Garcia said.

In return of the use of the equipment, the GHSP partner hospital grants GSIS members and pensioners a 50 percent discount when using the GSIS equipment, plus other discounts ranging from 10 percent to 40 percent for other services, including professional fees, room and board, hospital supplies and medical procedures, and an automatic 10 percent discount for the members' qualified dependents.

"The inauguration of both machines at Perpetual Succour is a signal for the GSIS that it is time to expand the program further. Perpetual Succour is currently the only partner hospital of the GSIS outside Luzon," Garcia said.

Garcia said that those who have availed of the GHSP from Perpetual Succour came from areas as far as Zamboanga, Surigao, Agusan, Lanao, Misamis Oriental, Siquijor, Negros, Northern Samar, Masbate, Leyte, Bohol and Cebu.

Under the GHSP, the GSIS provides accredited hospitals with modern medical equipment through a usufruct agreement, which means that the equipment remain a property of the GSIS. The partner hospitals, on the other hand, are tasked to maintain the equipment.

Aside from Perpetual Succour, other GHSP partner hospitals include the University of Santo Tomas Hospital in Manila, Capitol Medical Center in Quezon City, Lorma Medical Center in San Fernando, La Union and the AUF Medical Center in Pampanga. - Jasmin R. Uy