THE government has turned over P98.4 million in financial aid to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) which was hit by fire in May.

Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go lauded hospital workers for their service amid the pandemic.

The senator on June 15 witnessed the ceremonial turnover of the funding for equipment support provided by the Office of the President through the Socio-Civic Projects Fund to the PGH.

The ceremony was led by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and attended by Deputy Executive Secretary for Finance and Administration Rizalina Justol, Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Secretary Michael Lloyd Dino, and Assistant Secretary Girlie Veloso of the Office of the President.

“This is the fulfillment of a promise we made pagkatapos masunog ang PGH nung Mayo (after the PGH got hit by fire in May),” Go said in a statement.

“I told Dr. [Gerardo] Legaspi just to tell us, President Rodrigo Duterte, what else can we do to help, especially on their damaged [hospital] equipment,” he said in Filipino.

“What is important is that the hospital returns to its normal operations as soon as possible,” he added.

The chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography noted the financial assistance consisted of three parts.

The first was a replenishable monthly fund of P25 million for the purchase of medicines, medical supplies, supplies for diagnostic tests and other hospital care services and support for the hospital’s indigent and financially incapacitated patients.

The second was P53 million worth of financial aid for the procurement of two units each of steam sterilizers, ethylene oxide sterilizers and vaporized hydrogen peroxide sterilizers while the third was a P20.4 million budget for the purchase of instruments such as an anesthesia machine and a hepatectomy set among others.

The President earlier ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways to immediately repair the damaged parts of the hospital.

Go sent aid to the affected patients, including those who were transferred to the Sta. Ana Hospital.