The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) on Wednesday turned over two Patient Transport Vehicles (PTVs) each to four Western Visayas provinces under its Medical Transport Vehicle Donation Program during a ceremony at Casa Real here.
PCSO General Manager Melquiades Robles said the occasion is more than just a turnover of vehicles but a testament to what can be achieved when national and local governments work together for the welfare of people.
“These Patient Transport Vehicles represent our shared commitment to making health care services more accessible, especially for those communities where transportation can mean a difference in receiving timely medical care,” he said.
The recipients included the provinces of Iloilo, Guimaras, Capiz and Antique, which were received by Governors Arthur Defensor Jr., Ma. Lucille Nava, Fredenil Castro and Paolo Everardo Javier, respectively.
Robles said the PTVs will be instrumental in saving more lives, transporting more patients to health facilities, and giving hope to more families.
In a follow-up interview, Robles said they have already completed the distribution of PTVs to all municipalities and cities and more than 50 percent of provinces in the country.
“We can attribute this to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. He really puts a premium and priority on healthcare. We are now in the last phase of providing the provincial governments with patient transport vehicles,” he said.
PCSO hoped to complete the distribution down to the smallest local provincial government before the State of the Nation Address of President Marcos next month.
“We hope that with their ability to move their patients every time they need to transfer to a more complete hospital, they would be able to serve more of their constituents,” he said.
Robles said they are also in the process of procuring landing craft vehicles for island municipalities.
It will serve like a mini roll-on, roll-off (Ro-Ro) for PTVs to transfer patients to the mainland for better access to bigger hospitals.
Aside from these vehicles, Robles also turned over the lotto share of the four provinces and of Iloilo City, totaling PHP2.44 million. (PNA)
