Four doctors recognized for initiatives versus COPD

The COPD Foundation of the Philippines, in cooperation with the Boehringer-Ingelheim Medical Sciences Foundation (BIMSF), recognized the initiatives of four doctors and their medical institutions by honoring them with the first ever COPD Award for Service during the recent annual convention of the Philippine College of Chest Physicians.

The fight against the dreaded chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is now becoming a national concern. Leading medical institutions spearhead their own pulmonary care services which provide multi-dimensional assistance to COPD patients and their families.

The award aims to further encourage doctors and medical institutions to wage the battle against COPD, which is fast becoming the top cause of morbidity not only in the Philippines but also worldwide.

COPD is a disease which is generally a consequence of smoking and is characterized by airflow obstruction that is irreversible and incurable. At present, approximately 1.2 million Filipino smokers are suffering from COPD.

The COPD Foundation of the Philippines has chosen four deserving doctors who have dedicatedly waged their battle against the disease in their respective hospitals by providing excellent service and care to the increasing number of COPD patients.

Three of the awardees are from prestigious hospitals in Manila, while one is from Cebu.

The first place was awarded to Dr. Lenora Fernandez for her pioneering effort in the Comprehensive Ambulatory Respiratory Rehabilitation (CARE) of the Philippine General Hospital. This program is open to all smokers who may already have COPD or may be thinking of quitting. It helps smokers quit smoking through its Smoking Cessation Program.

CARE also provides COPD patients with holistic care through pulmonary rehabilitation and proper education. This program is more commendable since it caters to the needs of indigent patients. It also trains health personnel from all over the country to offer the same services in their respective areas.

Another deserving awardee is the "Multidisciplinary Education and Exercise Program" for patients with COPD and other chronic lung diseases. This was an entry by Dr. Percival Punzal of the Philippine Heart Center.

Since 1990, the Philippine Heart Center has provided a multidisciplinary program for patients with COPD through its Pulmonary Rehabilitation Section. Being the first one to offer pulmonary rehabilitation in the country, PHC provides an innovative program with updated facilities to its patients.

The program is also devoted to training interested healthcare professionals in pulmonary rehabilitation so the medical community can keep up with the increasing number of COPD patients who are in need of pulmonary rehabilitation.

The Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program of the Veterans Memorial Medical Center also merited recognition. Under the leadership of Dr. Teresita Obial-Aquino, the program was able to adequately respond to the various needs of COPD patients that could not be addressed by a single doctor with hectic schedules.

The VMMC program adopts the multidimensional approach to pulmonary rehabilitation. It not only includes physical/respiratory therapy and nutritional/nursing care but it also emphasizes the need for health education, which is a very powerful tool to assist the patient in motivating himself to effectively cope with the disease.

For COPD sufferers in the Visayas, particularly Cebu, a Hospice Care Program is being offered at the Department of Family and Community Medicine of Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC).

According to its chairman, Dr. Cecilia Bernad, the program aims to provide home care service to patients who are either terminally or chronically ill. This includes but is not limited to patients suffering from COPD.

Through this program, patients and their families are educated on home care which is a less expensive option for patients with a lingering illness. — V. Foz