THE CITY-RUN Ospital ng Parañaque will start providing free hemodialysis and other medical services next month, the local government announced at the weekend.
Mayor Eric L. Olivarez said the delivery of free services using new facilities and equipment is under a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement.
“We will have the blessing of our new CT scan, hemodialysis machine and other facilities in one,” he said in a statement.
Ospital ng Parañaque Director Jefferson R. Pagsisihan said a private company will operate the hospital’s facilities, including the pharmacy and laboratory under the PPP contract.
Expenses will be covered by funds from the Philippine Health Insurance Corp., Department of Health, and Malasakit Center.
“We want our services to be affordable, and if the hospital has the capacity, the medicines and services will be free as long as our doctors at OsPar1 order them,” said Mr. Pagsisihan.
“We are ready, and we are just waiting for the relevant permits and licenses for the operation of our new equipment and facilities,” he added.
Mr. Olivarez, a former congressman and was one of the main authors of the House bill that would become the Universal Health Care Act, also announced that the hospital’s intensive care unit, which had been under renovation, will be reopened at the same time.
The city government is also planning to build a new six-storey building to expand the hospital’s capacity.