A heart for cardiovascular healthcare

MANILA, Philippines - In 2009, the Department of Health revealed that 170,000 Filipinos die from problems of the heart every year a noteworthy rise from the 85,000 figure recorded more than two decades prior. This meant that cardiovascular diseases were taking the lives of approximately 19 Filipinos each hour.

This alarming medical problem prompted cardiologist Dr. Homobono B. Calleja to strengthen healthcare practices in diagnosing and treating cardiovascular conditions. While medical technology, especially in the area of cardiovascular health, has been advancing by leaps and bounds, it also meant that healthcare practitioners had to keep up with added knowledge and training in order to utilize these equipment effectively and accurately.

Thus, the HB Calleja Center for Cardiovascular Technology was established in 2010. The move to establish a continuing education center is natural for a dedicated cardiologist such as Dr. Calleja, who is also the founder of the St. Luke’s Heart Institute at Quezon City in 1986.

“Dr. Calleja has always been passionate about training our heart medical practitioners,” says Dr. Denton Chua, the administrator and one of the faculty members of the HB Calleja Center.

The center teaches medical and radiology technicians, nurses, and affiliated medical professionals on proper knowhow regarding the latest technologies in heart diagnosis, like the 2D Echocardiogram, state-of-the-art imaging devices and other cardiovascular diagnostic equipment. To date, over 1,200 healthcare practitioners have graduated from the institution.

“Particularly in 2010, a lot of our nurses and cardiovascular technicians went overseas, this highlighted how we really had a lack of experts in the area of diagnosis,” explains Chua.

One of the core competencies emphasized in the center is using the advancements on cardiovascular diagnosis at their full capacity. “Our students learn the intricacies of how getting a good image allows physicians to make good diagnoses,” says Chua. “The non-invasive, 2D Echocardiogram, for instance, provides an ultrasound that measures how the heart actually pumps, how much blood is in it, and how much blood is pumped out. But to be able to read this well, technicians need to be able to provide a good picture.” 

Because the training is intensive and hands-on, the HB Calleja Center ensures that the actual equipment is used in their facility. HB Calleja has partnered with General Electric (GE) Healthcare in procuring the latest and most up-to-date global equipment and technology in cardiovascular healthcare for use in their training facilities.

“More than the technologies, GE Healthcare and HB Calleja share the same passion for educating doctors and technicians on the latest advancements on the existing technologies and how to use them well,” adds Chua.

The partnership and synergy enables HB Calleja to implement tailor-fit training modules for GE’s latest products being brought into the Philippines, for the benefit of the facility’s customers, clients and end-users.

Dubbed “GE Vivid Day,” the specialized learning sessions showcase GE Healthcare’s top-of-the-line cardiovascular ultrasound machines under its Vivid series.

The sessions are a part of GE Healthcare’s ASEAN Healthcare Learning Institute (AHLI) program, which is a virtual institution focused on developing the competency quality of healthcare practitioners all over the region.

For this year, the GE Vivid Day was held by HB Calleja Center last October, highlighting an Advanced Echo Technology Course. “All existing echo-technicians and vascular technicians are invited. “We want to enhance their expertise and keep them in the loop with the latest advancements so that they, in turn, can also start introducing them to their colleagues in their respective fields,” explained Chua.

The learning session was also an opportunity for GE Healthcare to listen to end-users and see what further improvements can be done. “We value GE’s openness to listen to their partners,” notes Chua. “The Advanced Echo Technology Course, for one, will enable GE to see the limitations and create more effective technologies for efficient healthcare to be delivered.”

Other activities in the pipeline between the HB Calleja Center and GE Healthcare include online trainings for cardiovascular technicians, in order to expand the reach of the AHLI program especially to those in more remote locations across the country. These are scheduled to be implemented within the year.

The advocacy towards improved cardiovascular health among Filipinos has definitely been taken to heart by institutions such as the HB Calleja Center. In collaboration with private sector partners such as GE Healthcare, more and more patients across the country will have access to high quality, advanced diagnostic technologies in order to help stop the country’s top killer.

The HB Calleja Center is located at The Health Cube Center on 226 Wilson Street, Greenhills, San Juan City. For more information, visit www.callejacenter.com and www.gehealthcare.com.