A Legacy of Excellence
Located in a historic district, Manila Doctors Hospital equally showcases astounding impact in its continued mission to provide exceptional healthcare across generations
With its plethoric history translating into renowned expertise, Manila Doctors Hospital has unequivocally been a compelling force in the modern landscape of healthcare in the Philippines. As recently evinced by its Platinum Level accreditation given by Accreditation Canada International among other recognitions, it has deeply fortified its array of world-class services and facilities while remaining accessible and sought-after by many. Assuredly extending holistic care and astounding quality for its patients within its walls and further on, the institution’s commitment to evolving and adapting in parallel to new demands and technologies beam most apparent.
“Manila Doctors Hospital’s strength is in our willingness to embrace the challenge of providing accessible and quality healthcare, as it has been doing for 65 years now,” bared the hospital’s president, Arlene P Ledesma. Notably, the institution stepped up to this challenge amid the pandemic in its introduction of teleconsultations with HomeCare Plus, convenient RT-PCR testing via “Park and Swab” and “Park and Lab” Drive-Thru Services, and even X-rays and laboratory tests through the “Roving Med” van which meets patients at their homes or offices.
The hospital has retained most of its health and safety protocols established during the height of the pandemic. “Manila Doctors Hospital was the first hospital to set up an isolation tent for patients under investigation following the first confirmed Covid-19 case in our country in January 2020,” shared Ledesma. “We were also the first hospital to install photo-plasma sterilisers in our elevators and among the first to have a dedicated haemodialysis facility and operating room for Covid-19 patients.”
Today, all elevators remain equipped with these sterilisers for continuous disinfection throughout the day. Likewise, advanced disinfecting tools are present in all
areas of the hospital. Manila Doctors Hospital has also instituted concierge services to manage the flow of guests and populated its halls with signages to provide reliable guidance and education on health protocols.
Simply resolute in delivering attentive and responsive patient care anywhere and across any ailment, the hospital’s recently launched tagline, “With you every step of the way”, rings as true as ever, highlighting the “reliable and trusted lifetime partnership that Manila Doctors Hospital stands for”, as Ledesma endearingly puts it.
The esteemed hospital remains known for two speciality centres: its Cancer Institute and Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory which bear imbued reverence.
Housed in the newly opened Norberto Ty Medical Tower II, the Cancer Institute emblazons new technologies like the Linear Accelerator and Brachytherapy, which are among the most advanced cancer treatments available in the country. “Aside from taking care of patients with their best interest at heart, our team of specialists have the passion, skill, education and training to ensure excellent and safe oncologic management,” relayed Cancer Institute chair, Dr Marie Cherry Lynn Samson-Fernando. Adding that each of the centre’s services come with the best value there is, she said, “All treatment options and plans are offered to adjust to the needs and capabilities of the patient.” The institute also hosts a passionate Chemotherapy Unit, Palliative and Pain Management Unit, and additional support services to provide comprehensive patient care.
Exhibiting the same adaptability and professionalism is the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory within Manila Doctors Hospital’s Cardiovascular Centre. Spearheaded by the chairman, Dr Rogelio V Tangco since the lab’s inception in 2009, its team of specialists actively cater to the increasing demands for angiography and angioplasty in the Philippines. He remarked, “I have seen history unfold as interventional cardiology has become an established field in our country. Research is one of the strong arms of Manila Doctors Hospital’s training programme in cardiology, and it is my vision to have a more integrative programme.” With the second laboratory only recently inaugurated during the pandemic, Dr Tangco is confident they have sturdier footing to excel even further.
With these demonstrating how Manila Doctors Hospital ambitiously continues to improve and grow, it is therefore no surprise that it remains to be among those at the forefront of the industry. Now one of the country’s beacons of hope and healing with a string of monumental achievements chalked up along the way, Manila Doctors Hospital perpetuates a remarkable legacy as an undisputed cadre of Filipino resilience and ingenuity in the field of health, wellness and beyond.
“Manila Doctors Hospital’s strength is in our willingness to embrace the challenge of providing accessible and quality healthcare, as it has been doing for 65 years now” —ARLENE P LEDESMA
Recently a recipient of the Medical Tourism Initiative of the Year–Philippines and Hospital of the Year– Philippines awards at the Healthcare Asia Awards 2022, The Medical City (TMC) is undoubtedly an esteemed purveyor of world-class healthcare in the country, bolstered by its acclaim. Yet when the pandemic hit in 2020, TMC was only among the many hospitals to welcome a deluge of Covid-19 patients, plagued by the inexplicable burden and grief of the times.
“We knew we had to take the forefront,” began TMC president and CEO Dr Eugenio Jose F Ramos. As their eventual collaboration with other private and private-public hospitals successfully initiated the designation of government hospitals for Covid19 patients, Dr Ramos’s leadership inspired equally fervent waves of change within TMC.
Repurposing its facilities, TMC notably transformed its separate emergency rooms for paediatric and adult patients respectively into diagnostic units for Covid and non-Covid patients. To ensure the health and wellness of its hardworking staff, on the other hand, the hospital prioritised provisions of transportation and spaces where its modern-day heroes could eat and rest without the risk of infection.
“We were able to respond with the utmost safety in bringing the best clinical care to our patients while protecting our healthcare workers, including at one point having 700 of our staff live in the hospital,” shares TMC chairman Jose Xavier “Eckie” B Gonzales. While this was a necessary step to protect everyone from the virus, there were also simply no words for how isolating it was, as several were separated from their families for weeks at a time. Dr Ramos says that it was thus fortunate they were able to use digital technology to keep them in touch with loved ones. “What was important was that people had that experience of being part of a community,” he wistfully adds, mentioning the many donations they received from outside the hospital. “It was during this time that the sense of community started coming in from everywhere else.”
The technology that emerged during the pandemic has now also acquired a certain degree of permanence, Dr Ramos attests. Perhaps most evinced in TMC’s establishment of Home Care Services early in 2021, Dr
Ramos believes this is the future of the industry. “We [now] realise that the hospital can just be a place for acute care, for people who are with chronic diseases, with acute exacerbations,” he imparts. “We know that healthcare now doesn’t necessarily need to be confined to the hospital. You can be treated anywhere, and that’s where we’re headed.”
True to its value proposition, “Where Patients are Partners”, Dr Ramos says he hopes that Home Care also inspires more people to take better accountability for their health, ushering in a healthier Philippines altogether. Alongside this, TMC’s reach across the country is especially noteworthy, thanks to its strong commitment to keeping patrons engaged and educated through social media. “I don’t think people realise that medicine is a business of continuous ‘laymanising’ of health,” Gonzales states. “We believe that, as health and treatments evolve, we must engage our potential customers along. As such, patients come here because of the power of our institutional brand, and that brand is not just promoting. It’s really about storytelling, anchored on our commitment to a very strong training programme that pushes the frontiers of research and translates into practice.”
Truly setting an unprecedented calibre of excellence in the industry, TMC also celebrates its sixth re-accreditation by the Joint Commission International for maintaining the highest standards that are at par with the best hospitals in the world. Motivated by this to improve further, Dr Ramos says, “We are driven by our vision to be an influence on how Filipinos think about health. I think that kind of mindset is what animates the way we do things here in TMC.” Indeed, wherever healthcare is concerned, TMC can be trusted to take risks, make a difference and lead the way forward.
“We are driven by our vision to be an influence on how Filipinos think about health. I think that kind of mindset is what animates the way we do things here in TMC” —DR EUGENIO JOSE F RAMOS