Saturday, September 27, 2008 Second batch of WMRI medical aid arrives
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- The much-awaited second 40-foot container van loaded with medical equipment and supplies from the Michigan-based global aid group World Medical Relief, Incorporated (WMRI) arrived Wednesday.
The van is the second and final shipment of medical donations sourced and facilitated by the couple doctors Joe and Stella Evangelista, together with George Samson, the Kapampangan chief operating officer and director for International Programs of WMRI. Locally, the donations are coordinated by Rodolfo Mallari, WMRI’s lone volunteer in the country.
The first shipment of medical supplies and valuable life-saving equipment worth about P43 million arrived last August 22 and has been distributed to the district hospitals of San Luis, Romana, Porac, Balitucan; the Diosdado P. Macapagal Memorial Hospital in Guagua; and the Ricardo Rodriguez Memorial Hospital in San Fernando.
Susan Dimabuyu of the Provincial Social Welfare Development Office (PSWDO) said the second shipment, which consist of expensive medical equipment like dental chairs, anesthesia machines, wheelchairs, crutches, stretchers, eye-diagnostic equipment, computer sets and even toys for the pediatric wards of hospitals are allocated for Candaba, Arayat, Macabebe, and Lubao district hospitals. She said the Provincial Health Office will also get its share from the shipment.
Dimabuyu clarified that the ambulance destined for Candaba will be delivered in a separate shipment expected to arrive later this week.
“This is a great help for our hospitals and we want to take this opportunity to thank the Provincial Board for the support in approving the needed budget for the release of the containers,” Dimabuyu said.
Mallari, to whom the shipments are consigned, said the second shipment is valued at around P20 million, excluding the ambulance which the Evangelista couple had refitted at a cost of US$2,000 from their own pockets.
For the two shipments, Mallari’s counterparts abroad had put up US$10,800 to cover for the shipment fees and service charges. Here, the provincial government, through the Provincial Board, had to shell out the P600,000 counterpart fund.
“But it’s all worth it,” said Mallari, “this is equivalent to P600,000 that we paid.”
Pampanga Governor Eddie Panlilio later joined Mallari and his wife Janet in witnessing the unloading of the shipment. He personally expressed his gratitude to Mallari for coordinating the arrival of the much needed donations and for supporting the Capitol’s health care programs.
Similar to the first shipment, the second 40-foot container van also had boxes of brand new blankets and bed sheets and hundreds of hospital beds.
But this time the container even included stuffed toys and copiers. (JTD/with reports from Ian Ocampo Flora)
