Senate spouses turn over renovated wards to PGH

The Senate Spouses Foundation Inc. (SSFI) has given four charity wards of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) a much-needed facelift, benefiting poor and elderly patients.

The SSFI, headed by Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar, formally turned over to PGH director Dr. Carmelo Alfiler yesterday renovated Charity Wards 1 to 4.

"This is so far the most ambitious project that SSFI has undertaken in recent years. We want to contribute to PGH’s quest for better medical service. A better ventilation and an improved surrounding could do wonders to a patient’s fast recovery," Villar said.

The wards cater to the surgical and medical needs of adult patients. Each ward is equipped with 50 beds.

According to PGH spokesman Dr. Michael Tee, the SSFI project is in line with the "Adopt a Charity Ward/Unit Program" introduced by Alfiler in 2004 "to modernize, upgrade and re-invent the PGH, especially as we are celebrating our centenary."

The SSFI project involved the repainting, re-tiling, renovation and repair of the toilet, nurses’ station and collateral areas and reinstallation of plumbing and electrical wiring at the wards.

Coinciding with the turnover ceremony was the ground breaking and contract signing for the major facelift of Charity Wards 5 to 8.

The renovation of Charity Wards 5 to 8 is expected to be completed before Christmas, These wards are being occupied by the neuro-sciences and rehabilitation medicines; pediatric surgery, psychiatry and orthopedic.

The two-phase project costs P20 million.

Alfiler expressed elation over the SSFI project as he admitted that the PGH needs the assistance of the project sector to effectively serve indigent Filipinos.

"This is a good time for the government-private partnership to be highlighted to the max. Rehabilitation can’t be made with the budget given to the PGH," he noted.

Alfiler added that annually, the PGH receives some P1 billion from the national government and "nothing is hardly left for infrastructure."

"The entry of SSFI is really a big help for PGH. We are very thankful for this," he maintained.