House Majority Leader and Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin Romualdez assured Sunday, September 6, that more medical equipment will be given to hospitals in Tacloban City to strengthen their capacity to respond to medical health care needs of the people amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
He made the assurance after the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC) Magsaysay branch was given several medical equipment to boost the delivery of its health care services.
“More medical equipment are expected to arrive and will benefit other public hospitals in Eastern Visayas,” he said in a statement.
In a joint “Malasakit (compassion)” project with the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), Romualdez, and his wife Tingog Sinirangan party-list Rep. Yedda Marie K. Romualdez turned over a ventilator, a portable x-ray machine, four medical oxygen tanks, and two wheelchairs to EVRMC Magsaysay branch on September 1.
“We are grateful to the OCD for partnering with us in this endeavor that will surely help Tacloban boost its medical services especially now that we are in the middle of a pandemic,” the Majority Leader said.
“We hope that the spirit of bayanihan and malasakit will continue to guide all public servants and stakeholders so that we may emerge victorious in these uncertain times,” he added.
Rep. Yedda Romualdez took the opportunity to thank the EVRMC frontliners for their selfless service and commitment amid the continued threat posed by COVID-19.
“Heroism and patriotism are evident every day in the halls of EVRMC and all the hospitals across the country. We hope to give all the help that we could give in order to ease the difficulties that they are facing each day,” she said.
The Romualdez couple and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), led by Secretary Mark Villar, earlier turned over 56 air-conditioned rooms, mostly made of converted shipping containers, to EVRMC and Schistosomiasis Hospital in Palo, Leyte as temporary mobile facilities for their medical frontliners.
Last July, around 160 medical frontliners of EVRMC were given the chance to stay at the Leyte Park Hotel & Resort and Madison Park Hotel in Tacloban City for free for three months through Romualdezes’ joint initiative with the OCD as part of the government’s efforts to protect healthcare workers and reboot the economy.
“We are relentless and we will continue to double our efforts in collaboration with the Duterte administration to reopen the economy for the preservation of jobs, ensure medical frontliners’ protection and provide comfort for them to ease the fear, pressures and dangers of their profession. Our profound gratitude to all of them,” the Romualdezes said.