THE city of Manila has a new machine that can identify, among many others, brain and lung conditions including COVID-related infections and from which the residents can benefit free of charge. Mayor Isko Moreno, joined by Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna and officials from the Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center (GABMMC) led by Director Dr. Ted Martin and radiology and X-ray department head Dr. Roy Vizcarra who is in charge of reading CT scan and x-ray ultrasound results.

Moreno said the new machine is the city’s gift for the poor residents who cannot afford the high cost of CT scans.

It was learned from Martin that the cost of a plain, brain CT scan in private hospitals runs anywhere from P15,000 to P25,000 and that the GABMMC will be offering such services for free, based on orders from Moreno.

Martin said the new machine is useful as it can easily identify brain conditions like stroke, aneurysm, brain tumor, meningitis, encephalitis and even COVID-related brain infections.

It can also be useful for eary detection of heart attacks and also for liver cancer, stomach intestinal cancer and all kinds of lumps in the stomach, along with COVID lung condition, lung cancer, pulmonary embolism and clear picture of COVID pneumonia (Ground Glass appearance).

According to Martin, the said machine procured by the city government offers high resolution and the best in terms of quality and capability, adding that the mayor has always wanted the best for Manilans.

The GABMMC is one of the six city-run hospitals. It serves the first district residents of Manila.

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Itchie G. Cabayan