Dr. Edwin Pasumbal of St. Luke’s Medical Center (SLMC) had just begun his three-month stint at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Alabang, Muntinlupa City as an infectious diseases fellow when the first cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) were brought to RITM in March.
"Infectious diseases is my sub-specialty and, since SARS is an infectious diseases emergency, I think it is a blessing that (the outbreak) coincided with my stay here at RITM. I feel lucky that I am here," the 32-year-old internal medicine specialist said.
His childhood dream was to be a doctor and he is now among the ranks of the heroes hailed by the government for being in the frontlines of the battle against SARS.
Despite the speeches lauding health workers made by the President in recent days, Pasumbal remains humble and unassuming. He believes his post at the forefront of the fight against SARS is merely part of his job as a doctor.
Bespectacled and soft-spoken, Pasumbal is one of 70 doctors and nurses who form the frontline SARS team of the RITM.
RITM has been designated by the government priority hospital for SARS, which has claimed the lives of 461 people worldwide as of yesterday.
Pasumbal said he learned to live with the danger posed by constant exposure to SARS and possible SARS patients, admitting that he did feel fear at the beginning of the outbreak.
"But I had to set (my fears) aside and concentrate on my patients," he told The STAR yesterday afternoon at RITM’s training center.
Right across the RITM training center sits a building designated exclusively for suspected SARS cases. It now houses 10 people, including two of Pasumbal’s RITM colleagues. This building will also bear the brunt of patient influx should a serious SARS outbreak happen.
"I was alarmed," Pasumbal said, describing his reaction when he learned two of his colleagues, a doctor and a nurse, had come down with fever — one of the first symptoms of SARS.
He has not had the opportunity to work closely with them, he said, but his concern was evident on his face.
Pasumbal said he has not been sick since RITM began admitting suspected SARS cases in late March.
He said he follows a strict healthy lifestyle regimen and observes "proper infection control measures" — safeguards he recommends the public take, especially in this time of SARS.
Pasumbal does not drink or smoke. Though he does not take vitamins or follow diet restrictions, he washes his hands as often as possible and makes sure he gets enough sleep.
When he does his rounds, Pasumbal dons full "battle gear," protecting himself from head to toe with cap, goggles, N-95 mask, overall gown, apron, gloves and slip-on plastic shoe covers.
Wearing his protective suit is "hot," Pasumbal said. The entire suit is good for only one use — the outfit is put in the trash and incinerated after Pasumbal takes it off.
Compared with health workers in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Toronto, Canada — areas worst hit by the SARS outbreak — Pasumbal said he and his colleagues at RITM still enjoy an acceptable work schedule.
Compared with the overworked health workers in SARS-stricken areas elsewhere in the world, RITM’s medics report to work at 8 a.m. and leave at 5 p.m. and can still enjoy holidays. Contact with suspected SARS cases is minimized as much as possible, he said.
At most, he added, he spends two hours with each patient. "We don’t go to the quarantine unless necessary," he said, adding that none of his patients are critically ill. "They are all up and about and, actually, bored when in quarantine."
Pasumbal and his colleagues keep themselves updated on SARS developments over the Internet, regular meetings with World Health Organization (WHO) personnel, departmental meetings and, of course, from the patients themselves.
Pasumbal said the RITM has also added another precaution to its SARS prevention list by asking SARS staff to change into their work clothes once they arrive at the hospital and shower before going home – a routine he follows to the letter.
Pasumbal stays at his dormitory at SLMC in Quezon City, where, he said, he gets a lot of ribbing from his fellow doctors. "Of course, there are the jokes like ‘kadiri (yuck), SARS’ — but, most of the time, I get words of encouragement and concern from my friends."
His parents in his hometown of city of San Fernando, Pampanga, have also expressed concern over Pasumbal’s work on the RITM SARS team but, he said, "they understand."
Pasumbal has been a doctor for six years. He finished medicine at the University of the East-Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City and his specialization in internal medicine at the Jose B. Lingad Regional Hospital in San Fernando, Pampanga.
Once he finishes his rotation and graduates later this month, Pasumbal plans to return to San Fernando and set up his own clinic.
"There are very few infectious diseases doctors in our country," he said, "and none in Pampanga."
Pasumbal said his work is "fulfilling, especially when patients seek to consult you and then you get to treat them and see how they improve," especially when the medic is fighting SARS.
"We are the ones who clear those who have been quarantined," he added. "I feel happy and relieved when I know that they are already safe."