Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada has acquired a state-of-the-art CT scan machine for the city-run Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center.
Estrada led the blessing and inauguration of the new P36-million, 16-slice Somatom CT scan machine, the latest addition to the long list of brand new medical equipment he has purchased to upgrade the six public hospitals of the city.
“Nowhere in Metro Manila can you see sophisticated medical equipment in a public hospital like we have here. And Manileños can use this for free,” Estrada said.
Estrada said he understands the predicament of poor patients when availing expensive but needed medical tests and procedures such as CT scan.
“How much is the CT scan in private hospitals? The cheapest is around P5,000, and this is too much for most of the poor families here in Manila,” he pointed out.
Dr. Roy Vizcarra, head of the Radiology Department of GABMMC, said the new 16-slice CT scan machine will replace the old two-slice machine they have been using for years.
GABMMC is a 150-200 bed capacity district hospital in Delpan Street, Tondo. Constructed in 1998, it provides high quality specialized health services and was recently renovated and re-equipped by the city government.
“Normally a CT scan procedure is about P10,000 to P12,000… but we give it to our patients for free, whatever the cost, they don’t pay anything,” Vizcarra said.
The 16-slice CT scan machine, according to Vizcarra, is more accurate and faster in producing 3D images, enabling doctors to detect a patient’s illness at an early stage and with more clarity.
The machine can detect diseases such as aneurysm, appendicitis, liver tumor, lung, liver, and pancreatic cancers; kidney stones and tuberculosis and other infections, among others, and can also be used in “staging” almost all types of cancers.
The CT scan machine can also do virtual colonoscopy (VC), a medical imaging procedure used to diagnose colon and bowel disease, including polyps, diverticulosis and cancer, he added.
Last April, the city government acquired a P117-million MRI machine for the Ospital ng Maynila on top of more brand new CT scans and digital X-ray machines.
Estrada also put up a dialysis center and an Eye Care Center at GABMMC recently.
After salvaging the city from the P5 billion debt left by the previous administration, Estrada has set aside P500-million for the rehabilitation and modernization of the city’s six public hospitals and 59 community health centers.
