Mindanao Lung Center underway
by RG Alama
Davao City (25 August) -- Plans to upgrade the Davao Medical Center (DMC) into a lung and kidney center are on the pipeline as funds have been appropriated to start the Lung center facility.
Dr. Paulyn Jean-Rossell Ubial, Department of Health Regional Director, said that a P80-million start-up fund for the Lung Center has been allocated this year. She said it will complement DMC who already has a Heart Center in place. Dr. Ubial said the facility needs at least P300-million to be fully operational.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has identified the upgrading of the DMC as part of her 8 by'08 agenda in which she hopes the economic gains in the form of increase revenues would be used as a social 'payback' for the people. Among these 'paybacks' would be in the form of health infrastructure like heart-lung-kidney end referral facilities in the regions.
Dr. Ubial said that people with Lung problems would no longer need to go to Manila for treatment particularly those afflicted with multi-drug resistant Tubercolosis.
The DOH director hopes that funds would pour for the completion of the Lung Center and hopes to prevent experience of the Mindanao Heart Center, which took five years to be realized as the funds came slowly in trickles.
TB has been ranked as no.7 in regional morbidity with 4,625 cases. While it is ranked no. 8 in regional mortality rates as the lung disease claimed 748 lives in the region. (PIA XI) [top]
