PCSO to deploy landing craft in Batanes to improve patient mobility

The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) announced a plan to provide a landing craft vessel (LCV) for Batanes to improve patient transport in the island province, with deployment scheduled later this year.

In a social media post on Sunday, PCSO General Manager Melquiades “Mel” Robles described the LCV as a “mini RORO (Roll-On, Roll-Off) ” that allows ambulances to be loaded directly onto the vessel which would serve remote communities.

“The LCV is intended to support patient mobility, enabling the transport of patients, responders, and essential medical supplies between islands such as Sabtang and Basco. Designed to directly access shorelines, it will allow patients to be transferred more efficiently to healthcare facilities, particularly in emergency situations,” he said.

“This means the patient can remain inside the ambulance from the point of transport until arrival at the hospital, without the need for repeated transfers,” Robles added.

The PCSO head said the initiative aims to address mobility challenges in geographically isolated areas, where access to healthcare is often affected by sea conditions and limited transport options.

The LCV is set to be deployed to provinces with island municipalities later this year, including Batanes, as part of efforts to strengthen inter-island healthcare access.

The need for improved patient transport was underscored during a medical and dental mission conducted on March 26 and 27 in Sabtang and Basco, where PCSO delivered consultations, free medicines, and diagnostic services to hundreds of beneficiaries across the province.

Batanes, with a population of approximately 18,000, is composed of 6 municipalities and 29 barangays, with communities separated by sea, making access to timely healthcare a continuing challenge. —RF, GMA Integrated News