Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno met over the weekend with families of 20 young patients as the local government released P32,296,900.40 to fund their life-saving liver transplant surgeries in India.

Of the 20 patients, six will undergo procedures at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in New Delhi, while 14 others are scheduled for surgery at Max Healthcare, also in New Delhi.

City officials said 18 of the patients are children diagnosed with biliary atresia, while the remaining two suffer from liver cirrhosis and another chronic liver condition.

During a dialogue with families, Moreno acknowledged the long struggle parents faced in raising funds for the costly procedures.

“Your long journey is about to become shorter. Hopefully God will guide you and keep your child safe,” he told the parents.

He stressed that the assistance came from the taxpayers of Manila.

“It is from the taxpayers of the City of Manila. I will never hesitate to spend millions if it means saving a life. Money can be earned again, but a life cannot be replaced,” he said.

Moreno said hospitals in India have come to trust the city government’s commitment to cover the cost of procedures, allowing some patients to be accepted once Manila issues financial guarantees.

The latest batch brings the city government’s medical assistance under the Kaagapay Program to more than P96 million.

City records show P64,226,374.85 had earlier been released to support treatment for 71 patients as of February this year, including pediatric liver transplants in India, heart surgeries at the Philippine Heart Center, cochlear implant procedures and other critical treatments in hospitals across the country.