LANDBANK-funded oxygen-generating plants breathe hope to provincial hospitals

The Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) has approved a P94.5-million term loan for the construction of the first government-owned oxygen-generating plant in the Province of Sorsogon.

In partnership with the Provincial Government of Sorsogon under the leadership of Gov. Francis Joseph G. Escudero, LANDBANK will finance the purchase and installation of the oxygen-generating facility to be stationed at the Sorsogon Provincial Hospital. This will help increase the supply of medical oxygen to all nine (9) government hospitals in the province and benefit its more than 800,000 residents, as well as those from other neighboring provinces.

The establishment of this facility is part of the local government’s COVID-19 mitigation efforts, particularly now with the rising demand for medical oxygen caused by the recent surge in infections. The plant will also help lower the costs for tank refilling from P490 per tank to only P157. At present, the province sources medical oxygen from only one supplier in Camarines Sur.

The P94.5-million financing for the oxygen plant—which is expected to be completed in early 2022—forms part of LANDBANK’s intensified support to LGUs nationwide in providing basic health services, especially amid the ongoing pandemic.

“LANDBANK remains committed to serving the nation at the frontlines of our battle against the pandemic. Alongside our LGU partners, we stand ready to service growth and recovery requirements, which include boosting local healthcare services and providing support to medical frontliners and their constituents,” said LANDBANK President and CEO Cecilia C. Borromeo.

LANDBANK also financed a P29-million oxygen plant for the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental in 2010. Located in the City of Silay, the LANDBANK-funded facility has been supplying medical-grade oxygen to almost all district hospitals in the province for the past 10 years.

Since the onset of the pandemic last year, the oxygen plant has been providing free medical oxygen to local public health institutions and COVID-isolation facilities, namely the Cadiz City District Hospital, Valladolid District Hospital, Provincial Healing Center in E.B. Magalona, and the Teresita Lopez Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City.