P2.2 billion allotted for OsMak services

MANILA, Philippines — A new cancer institute and modern medical equipment will be established at the Ospital ng Makati (OsMak) as part of the P2.2 billion worth of improvements to be undertaken by the city government.

The local government has purchased 116 medical equipment, including patient monitors, infusion pumps, anesthesia machines, transport beds and electrocardiograph or ECG machines.

OsMak will also get new apparatus for ophthalmology, a blood bank refrigerator, CT scanner and 4K laparoscopy tower that could help doctors visualize and document procedures of endoscopy.

Mayor Abby Binay said they target to open a cancer institute at the OsMak by 2022.

“We are in talks with key health institutions in Singapore on how we can make this (cancer institute) a reality,” she said, adding that they want to provide the best care to city residents at the least cost.

Of the P5.26-billion budget allocated for healthcare programs this year, Binay said 42 percent or P2.21 billion would go to the Patients’ Care Program and other related projects of the OsMak.