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Thursday, April 21, 2005
Hawaii-based hospital pledges to give VSMMC more equipment
A HOSPITAL based in Hawaii has pledged to donate more equipment and supplies to Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) and train Cebuano medical professionals.
The Hawaiian doctors expressed eagerness to help further after finding inspiration from local doctors who worked “happily” despite the lack of equipment and supplies.
After forging a sister hospital partnership agreement with the Wilcox Memorial Hospital of Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii in the United States last March 30, VSMMC received a total of 40 intravenous (IV) pumps and about 2,000 tubings that are not available in the Philippines.
VSMMC Chief Filomena delos Santos said the IV pumps, which cost around $3,000 each, will help determine accurately the drop of fluids given to patients.
More efficiently
It will help nurses, who still check the drop of fluids manually, do the task quickly and more efficiently.
The pumps will be distributed in all the hospital’s wards, especially in the emergency room, operating room and intensive care unit, delos Santos said.
In yesterday’s turnover of the equipment with the help of the Rotary Club of Cebu Port Centre District 3860, club president George Hong said VSMMC could expect more donated medical equipment.
Three anesthesia machines, worth about P1.5 million each, and three arthroscopes will be arriving soon, with the assistance of their sister club, the Rotary Club of Poipu beach in Kauai Island. The club looked for hospital equipment in hospitals in Hawaii that could still be used at VSMMC.
Project
Hong said they chose the government hospital because it allowed them to carry out free of charge their annual project, Rotaplus, which gives free operations to those with harelips and cleft palates.
The Rotary shouldered the freight charges and is looking for ways to continuously provide VSMMC with the tubings, which have to be imported.
Delos Santos said the sister partnership agreement, which is not covered by a time frame, also includes exchange of expertise.
Doctors from Hawaii, who volunteered during the Rotaplus activities for the past three years, returned home with a “changed attitude” that they want to continue coming to Cebu, delos Santos said.
“They said they were ‘infected’ with the attitude of the doctors here that despite the lack of equipment and supplies, they were happy. They saw the positive attitude and they were amazed,” she added. (CYR)
(April 21, 2005 issue)
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