PCSO releases needed ambulance for Sagada

By Robert Pangod

SAGADA, Mountain Province -- The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office released a brand new medical ambulance for this tourist town Nov. 17.  

In a simple turn-over and memorandum of agreement signing ceremony at the PCSO office in Manila, the vehicle was officially released to Sagada Mayor Eduardo Latawan, Jr. and Dr. Evelyn Capuyan, Municipal Health Officer.

Handing over the ambulance were PCSO officials headed by Chairperson Margarita Juico, General Manager Jose Ferdinand Rojas II and Acquired Assets Department Manager Reynaldo Carbonel.

Chairperson Juico also announced during the ceremony that the PCSO added a spine board and stretcher for the ambulance unit, for the support of patients. These could also be used in retrieval and rescue operations during disasters.

“The medical vehicle will be very helpful to rapidly move patients to critical care in an emergency room and for routine transport of non-urgent cases, such as transfers between hospitals and other medical facilities. We express thanks to the PCSO for the new acquisition as this certainly enhances our capacity to respond to medical emergencies,” Mayor Latawan said.

The ambulance acquisition cost was wholly financed by the PCSO after the management approved the request of Mayor Latawan for counterpart exemption considering that Sagada is a 5^th class municipality.

The ambulance is an addition to the emergency vehicle procured by the LGU earlier this year with the use of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of Rep. Maximo Dalog.

Dr. Evelyn Capuyan said Sagada had been agonizing from lack of medical services and facilities for decades.

She said the burden lies on the family who has to hire a public utility vehicle to ferry an ailing member to the nearest medical facility at a cost ranging from P1,800-7,000, depending on location. “But with the release of the emergency vehicles, the transport cost becomes minimal and affordable to the poor.” .

“The release of these vehicles shows that the government is now giving priority to the health and well-being of the people especially those in far-flung areas,” said Dr. Capuyan.