The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor), the nation’s casino regulator-cum-operator, has delivered nine patient-transport vehicles to various local government units (LGUs). The vehicles will help “boost healthcare delivery in remote and disaster-affected areas,” stated the agency in a recent press release.
The beneficiaries include the municipalities of Mataas na Kahoy (Batangas); Paniqui (Tarlac); Bolinao (Pangasinan); Norzagaray (Bulacan); and Bangui, Carasi, Dumalneg, Pagudpud, and Adams (all in Ilocos Norte).
The announcement cited Pagcor chairman and chief executive, Alejandro Tengco, as saying the donations underscore the agency’s commitment to bring critical services closer to Filipinos in need.
“Through these vehicles, we help ensure that people living in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas can receive timely medical care,” Mr Tengco stated.
The donation came after Super Typhoon Nando battered Ilocos Norte, in the north of the country’s main island of Luzon, in late September, “leaving widespread flooding, prolonged power outages, and displaced families,” observed Pagcor.
The update quoted local officials in Ilocos Norte as saying the new vehicles would be “instrumental” not only in disaster response but also in addressing day-to-day medical emergencies.
Each vehicle “is fitted with a GPS navigation system, stretcher, medical oxygen, wheelchair, and first aid kit to ensure safe and efficient patient transfer,” Pagcor said in its release.
Pagcor said that since February this year, it has already distributed 60 patient-transport vehicles to LGUs, public hospitals, “frontline agencies”, and military units across the country.
