Ospital ng Muntinlupa to get new Senior Citizens’ Wing

Elderly Muntinlupeños will soon be able to avail themselves of top-quality treatment now that the proposed Geriatric Ward or Senior Citizens’ Wing at the Ospital ng Muntinlupa (OsMun) is about to come true.

This development came after the City’s Sangguniang Panlungsod approved Resolution No. 13-016 authorizing City Mayor Jaime R. Fresnedi to come to terms with World Medical Relief Inc. for the donation of medical equipment and supplies from the USA.

The resolution also authorized the allocation of about Php1.7million to cover shipping costs for the equipment, which will be originating from Michigan in the United States.

“We are very grateful to World Medical Relief Inc. for this wonderful gift to our City,” Fresnedi said. “We also thank the City Council for making it possible for us to give good medical care to our senior citizens at a fraction of the original cost.”

The resolution calls for the allocation of Php1, 692,500.00 to cover shipping costs such as US labor expenses, terminal fees, handling, and rental of a 40-foot container van which will be filled with hospital beds, bedside tables, equipment, instruments, and other medical supplies.

This is a fraction of the estimated Php3,517,450.00 needed to put up a brand-new Geriatric Ward at OsMun, which would be next to impossible given the City’s financial status after several years of apparent fiscal mismanagement.

The amount will be sourced from the 2013 Executive Budget under the OsMun Maintenance and Other Expenditures (MOOE) subsidy special account.

Geriatrics is a branch of medicine concerned with maintaining the health of senior citizens. Apparently, according to the webpage of the Philippine Society of Geriatric Medicine, elderly health care is limited to major private hospitals in Metro Manila. The Philippine General Hospital (PGH) appears to be the only government hospital in NCR with dedicated geriatric outpatient services.

Having a Senior Citizens’ Wing in OsMun will not only make this an achievement for the City, but more importantly make it possible to bring better health care to the City’s elderly Muntinlupeños.

World Medical Relief Inc. has been giving donations of medical equipment and supplies to hospitals in various locations around the globe for the last four years. OsMun is fortunate to receive this much-needed boost to the hospital’s efforts in providing top-quality health care.