PALO, Leyte — The Japanese government, through its embassy based in Manila, donated medical equipment valued at P6.49 million to the local government here.
The Embassy of Japan formally turned over specialized medical devices, including X-ray machine, to the Rural Health Unit in Palo, Leyte. Present at the event were Palo Mayor Remedios Petilla and Second Secretary Nishimura Tokiko of the Embassy of Japan on Wednesday, November 15.
Nishimura, in her speech during the turnover, said their country is glad to help Palo meet the medical needs of its people.
“In this evolving health landscape, the Embassy of Japan believes everyone should have access to adequate quality health services,” she said.
“We were concerned for the residents here in Palo, most particularly those who could only access very basic laboratory services that were insufficient for the majority of their health needs,” Nishimura added.
The medical equipment were placed at the town’s rural health center.
According to Nishimura, the donation is part of their government’s grant assistance for grassroots human security projects (GGP).
“Based on the doctrine of human security for all, GGP is a lasting proof to the enduring commitment of the Embassy of Japan to support local initiatives. Our mission is to protect and uplift the lives of people on the ground,” she said.
Mayor Petilla said they are grateful to the Japanese government for donating the medical equipment to them, as poor people of their town could now avail themselves of these equipment without going to neighboring city of Tacloban.
“The facility could now provide health services to our people, without going to a hospital,” she said.
Petilla, however, stressed that the services would not be free but with a minimal cost compared to a hospital or private clinic fee to help the local government sustain the facility.
“But if you have nothing to pay, then we can provide it for free,” she added.
With the provision of the much-needed equipment, the RHU can now offer advanced diagnoses not only during health emergencies but also in the daily provision of medical services to more than 18,000 families in the municipality.
The newly installed equipment also upgrades the facility to a comprehensive one-stop secondary laboratory center, capable of handling both infectious and non-infectious diseases.
The Palo mayor also said that aside from the local residents, those coming from nearby towns could also avail themselves of the services.
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