Samsung opens country’s first SONO School at PGH

MANILA, Philippines - Samsung Electronics Philippines Corp. (SEPCO) has opened its first Samsung SONO School in the country at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) to help improve the skills of Filipino doctors on prenatal ultrasound.

According to Soo-In Cho, president of Health and Medical Equipment Business of Samsung Electronics, the program is intended to make quality and affordable ultrasound services available to Filipino mothers.

“We are very proud to open the Samsung SONO School here at the PGH, a prestigious hospital with more than 100 years (of experience). This will be a big help to Filipino mothers,” Soo-In said in a speech during the opening and blessing ceremonies on Tuesday.

A joint project of Samsung, the PGH Medical Foundation Inc. and the PGH’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the school features a training curriculum for up to 300 doctors from across the country every year “that will result in a Continuing Medical Education accreditation.”

Comprising of 25 doctor-trainees per session, the program features a combination of lectures and hands-on sessions. This is also open to doctors from other government and private institutions as well.

Developed by the PGH’s Department of OB-Gynecology, the curriculum offers targeted training in point of care, and obstetrics and gynecology, thus allowing doctors to enhance their skills, particularly in the area of pre-natal ultrasound.

Samsung Electronics Philippines president Chung Lyong Lee said, “The Samsung SONO School aims to provide doctors with quality training in ultrasound to enhance their diagnostic skills.”

“Since our founding in 1969, Samsung has continued to push boundaries and pursue excellence to create positive change for people everywhere. We hope the school’s focus on education and training for medical practitioners will benefit the healthcare sector and go some way to improving lives.”

To improve the learning experience, Samsung has donated “dedicated medical equipment” such as the Samsung Medison Accuvix A30 ultrasound machine, the Samsung portable ultrasound MySono U6, and the Samsung Medison UGEO WS80A.

According to Dr. Blanca de Guia-Fuerte, who chairs the PGH-Department of OB-Gynecology, Samsung also refurbished PGH rooms into a “modern, first-class conference room” that is equipped with computers, chairs and tables, projectors, air-conditioning units, sound system and comfort rooms,” among others.

Samsung has also committed to provide administrative support and funds for the training program.

“Samsung, widely known for its CSR (corporate social responsibility), is so earnestly eager to contribute to the improvement of the services in the country. It has sought to establish a training school for ultrasound for medical doctors… Indeed it is a milestone, not only for our department but for the entire country as well,” Fuerte said.

PGH deputy director for health operations Lourdes Capito said that through the Samsung donations, “modern medical technology is now within our reach.”

“Through the rapid advancement of modern technology, medical sonography has become a dynamic and fast-paced field. As a government hospital in a developing country, we struggle to keep up with these advances due to the lack in decent funding, so this is a very welcome development,” she said.

Capito added the program would help them “arrive at more accurate diagnosis, thereby improving our plan of management, rendering better services to our country.”

Doctor-professors from the University of the Philippines Manila’s College of Medicine will conduct the training where doctor-trainees can benefit from the dedicated spaces for theoretical and hands-on sessions.