LEYTE HOSPITALS RECEIVE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT

The Leyte Provincial Hospital located in Palo, Leyte received medical equipment and supplies from Knightsbridge International and Worlds Apart-One Heart Inc. of North Carolina, USA.

The much needed medical equipment which had an estimated value of $200,000 were turned over on March 30, 2007 in Palo. On hand to receive the equipment were Doctor Linda Teresa Astorga, Provincial Health Officer, and Doctor Josenilo Bunado, Leyte Provincial Hospital Director. The Carigara District Hospital was also a recipient of the donated medical equipment. The equipment were donated by Dr. Patrick Ballen, Naomi Ballen, Moses Cone Health System and various individuals. Rene Cone and Ms. Hankins collected the equipment and facilitated their transfer. Tom and Rene Cone’s family paid for the shipping of the equipment to Manila.

Knightsbridge is a non-profit organization located in Los Angeles, California providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief worldwide. Under the auspices of Sir Ed Artis, the organization extended help to the recent calamities in Southern Leyte and the Bicol region, and in Southern Mindanao.

Leyte Provincial Governor Carlos “Icot” Petilla expressed gratitude for the donation and welcomed the generosity of Filipino Americans, who want to help improve the health services in the province.

The turnover was facilitated with the support of Mr. Orlando Uy of the Leyte Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Mr. Alfredo Pacho from Pricon Microelectronics Inc.

Ms. Hankins who hails from Carigara, Leyte is committed to giving medical assistance to Leyte after her sister died in 1999 from pneumonia without receiving any medical help. Sadly, she could not afford antibiotics that resulted in her untimely death.

Ms. Hankins’ visit to Leyte from March 26 thru April 10 included a two-day medical mission which provided surgery and treatment to many patients from Carigara. Doctors, nurses, and one dentist from Leyte and Samar volunteered for the mission, in addition to nurses and parademic from North Carolina. Brad Cone, son of Rene and Tom Cone shouldered most of the expenses on a major operation of one patient. Ms. Hankins also donated books to a library and computers to schools.

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