VSMMC chosen as cardiac center by Manila hospital

CEBU, Philippines - Six children suffering from congenital heart problems underwent surgery yesterday at Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center as the Philippine Heart Center officially began its tie-up with the local hospital being its cardiac center in the region.

“Ang target namin, mga children kasi wala pa silang na-umpisahan na na-operahan na bata,” she Dr. Juliet Balderas, head of the 20-man PHC cardiac team that flew in to perform the surgeries.

To expand its mission on a national scale, the Philippine Heart Center has tapped VSMMC as its regional satellite center to provide remedy for patients with congenital heart defects.

The PHC cardiac team headed by pediatric cardiology department manager Balderas started its three-day medical mission yesterday in VSMMC by undergoing cardiac surgery among selected children.

“Na-conceptualize ito dahil naghanap kami ng way to extend our services for health, we thought on looking for hospitals wherein we can do all the cases and we have projected VSMMC to become a satellite for Region 7,” Balderas said.

She also said the affiliation is part of the institution’s strategic initiative to establish five satellite heart centers around the Philippines.

“Vicente Sotto is chosen to be the cardiac treatment center for Region 7 to be affiliated with PHC. Other centers are in Northern Mindanao, Bicol, Ilocos and Davao,” Balderas said, adding that VSMMC was chosen a regional satellite cardiac center because of its adequate facility.

 Since VSMMC is a government hospital, patients may apply through Philippine Health Insurance so they can lower down their expenses for the surgery.

“So we thought of the mission to initiate open heart surgery in children, merong programa kasi ang PhilHealth wherein magiging mura nalang ang kanilang babayaran, especially for the poor. Ang share doon libre dapat sa patient,” Balderas said.

 “May support kami for training surgeons in Vicente Sotto siguro for five years, kasi magagaling na sila sa mga matatanda pero dapat specialized ang training ng operasyon ng mga bata,” she said.

Dr. Gerardo Aquino Jr., VSMMC Chief II, said their institution is planning to do special cases, especially for the indigent patients.

“Some patients who are financially constraint, they can go to government hospitals since the expenses are a bit lower… they don’t have to go to Manila and spend much,” he said.

“This would be a start, we will show to the community our services are being expanded. We are having highly-specialized services with a rate of the government institution and which are PhilHealth accredited,” he said.

 PHC has been extending its health services to provinces so that children and their families need not travel to Metro Manila where PHC is based.

The FREEMAN tried to inquire on the status of the six patients operated on by the PHC cardiac team yesterday but the information was not yet available as of press time.  (FREEMAN)