PH gets 420 ICU beds from US

MANILA – The Philippine government on Thursday received a donation of 420 intensive care unit beds worth PHP23.9 million from the United States.

US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires (CDA) John Law turned over the beds to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III at the Department of Health compound in Manila where he relayed Washington D.C.’s commitment to continue assisting Manila during this health crisis.

“We are honored to be able to support our Philippine partners with this ICU bed donation, which will directly support medical facilities across the country. The United States will continue to stand with our Filipino allies as we together confront the challenges posed by the Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic,” Law said.

The donation was provided by the US Indo-Pacific Command and aims to augment medical facilities in areas across the country where there are surges in Covid-19 cases.

According to the Embassy, an additional 180 ICU beds will be shipped in coordination with Philippine partners in the coming months to further support the critical care capacity in rural provinces across Mindanao and Luzon.

“These deliveries will support regional, city, and municipal hospitals and medical centers in every region of the Philippines to effectively manage critical Covid-19 patients,” the Embassy said.

As of this posting, Washington, D.C. has already provided more than PHP1.38 billion (USD27.5 million) to support the country’s response against Covid-19.