MANILA, Philippines - The Medical City’s (TMC) Center for Developmental Pediatrics (CDP) officially opened its doors last October, reaffirming TMC’s commitment to the healthy growth and development of children. Gracing the event was Alexis Reyes, president, Philippine Society of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (PSDBP) with senior members of TMC’s medial management team headed by Dr. Eugenio Ramos, head, Medical Services Group, and Dr. Blesilda Concepcion, director, Professional Staff Development Office. Also in full force to support the Center were other specialists involved in the Center like Dr. Cornelio Banaag, head of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and child neurologists Dr. Teresita Rabanal and Dr. Ignacio Rivera. Members of the Department of Pediatrics were also there, led by Dr. Carlos Paguio who represented department head Dr. Elizabeth Palmero-Reyes.
While there are other similar centers in hospitals around the country, TMC’s CDP is the first to institutionalize standardized developmental screening and detection for children, ages 0 to eight years old. The Center brings together some of the country’s finest specialists in child development and is headed by developmental-behavioral pediatrician Dr. Stella Guerrero-Manalo. “We believe that early detection is key to the management and treatment of developmental and behavioral conditions in children such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), learning difficulties and autism, to cite a few. It is the thrust of our center to put in place a staging point to address these developmental/behavioral conditions; offer comprehensive and coordinated management, counseling, and education, to ensure the health of the country’s next generation,” says Dr. Manalo in her welcome address.
Dr. Manalo’s team of developmental pediatricians includes Drs. Jacqueline Navarro, Lourdes Tanchanco, and Ma. Theresa G. Arranz-Lim. Other members of the Center’s staff are allied medical practitioners such as occupational and speech pathologists and special education specialists. Developmental disorders and behavioral problems are emerging as the new morbidity, reaching epidemic proportions. The availability of trained professionals and quality service can hardly keep up with the demand. To date, there are less than 40 qualified developmental pediatricians in the country to service potentially millions of children at risk. There is an urgent need to make access to services more efficient and streamlined. The Center is TMC’s response to this need, offering services, screening, and consultation to ensure healthy child development.
The Center for Developmental Pediatrics is located on the ground floor, Podium Building, The Medical City. For more information, call 635-6789 local 6630.