he Japanese Embassy in Manila on Friday said some medical equipment has been turned over to the Balete Rural Health Unit in Batangas, which aims to scale up its operations.
The provision of equipment worth USD98,880 (approximately PHP5.2 million) is part of Japan’s official development assistance (ODA) under the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) and was approved in 2018.
It includes the procurement of an automated blood chemistry analyzer and ultrasound machine.
Balete RHU is the town’s main public health facility and provides outpatient primary health care services to about 6,000 patients a year.
With the limited capacity of its available medical equipment, access to medical services back then was restricted.
Previously, its blood chemistry analyzer could only cater to at least 30 percent of caseloads from patients with medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and angina. The absence of ultrasound machines also forced pregnant women to travel to neighboring towns just to avail themselves of prenatal services.
“Now that the project is formally turned over to the RHU, Balete residents, including 1,400 patients that require the use of the fully-automated chemistry analyzer and 100 patients that require the use of the ultrasound machine annually, can avail improved medical services and access,” the Embassy said.
Japan’s GGP was launched in 1989 to help the Philippines reduce poverty and help various communities engage in grassroots activities. Including the latest initiative, 548 grassroots projects have been implemented by the GGP, the Embassy said.
“Japan believes that these projects will strengthen the friendship between Japan and the Philippines and contribute to sustaining strategic partnerships between the two countries,” it said
Source: Philippines News Agency
