Addressing ongoing health concerns among Filipino patients, ranging from heart conditions to various other critical diseases, remains a pressing issue in the country. A notable stride towards addressing these challenges was made recently by the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) during their public revalida with the Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA) on April 22.
VSMMC bagged the Silver Trailblazer Award and was conferred the Proficient Status under ISA’s good governance framework, the Performance Governance System (PGS). The public revalida is a democratic exercise that validates the public institutions’ completion of the four stages of the PGS. Enrolled institutions include the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office and the Department of Health (DOH), among others.
The medical center’s transformation journey began in 2019 when it achieved the PGS Initiation Status, followed by the Compliant Status in 2021, earning VSMMC the prestigious Silver Trailblazer Award for both milestones. Dr. Gerardo Aquino, Jr., Medical Center Chief of VSMMC, showcased the hospital’s progression to the third stage of the four-stage governance pathway. The medical center positions itself as a Level III Medical Center with Regional Apex Specialty Centers and part of a Consortium offering Undergraduate M.D. Courses by 2022.
In 2021, the DOH designated VSMMC as one of the hospitals entrusted with establishing specialty centers, notably in cardiovascular care. Since then, the hospital has successfully established nine specialty centers, each boasting a functionality status of over 90% according to the Health Facility Development Bureau.
In response to the increasing demand for cardiovascular care services in the region, its Regional Heart Center was established in 2015 through a memorandum of agreement with the Philippine Heart Center, predating DOH’s mandate.
“To date, our Regional Heart Center has attained its status as an advanced comprehensive cardiovascular center with a functionality score of 97.5% and registering a remarkable 65.35% surge in patients catered between 2020 and 2023,” Dr. Aquino said.
In his presentation, the medical center chief revealed that in the Philippines, there were over 140,000 recorded total cancer cases and around 86,000 cancer-related deaths in 2018. Among these, breast cancer accounted for the highest incidence at 17.6%, while lung cancer led to the most deaths at 17.9%.
Given the escalating cost of cancer treatment, surpassing one million pesos, and the significant increase in cancer patients at VSMMC from 2020 to 2021, an allocated budget of PHP 476 million was approved for the infrastructure development of its Cancer Center. This expansion includes the addition of chemotherapy services, ambulatory blood transfusions, and diagnostic procedures, enhancing the scope and quality of care provided.
“With all of these, our Cancer Center has an 89.64% functionality based on the DOH’s RSF [resource-stratified framework]. We are the first government-run facility in Central Visayas that addresses the needs of indigent cancer,” Dr. Aquino said.
In addition, with cerebrovascular disease ranking as the third leading cause of death, totaling over 63 thousand in 2022, the VSMMC established its Brain and Spine Center. This specialty center reportedly operates at 86% functionality and has provided care for over 3,000 patients from 2021 to 2023.
Meanwhile, as the DOH inaugurated the first Bagong Urgent Care and Ambulatory Service (BUCAS) center in the Philippines in Pampanga in March, the VSMMC, in partnership with the DOH-Central Visayas Center for Health Development, explored the utilization of existing infrastructure and collaboration with local government units. This initiative gave rise to SUGBUCAS, a hybrid BUCAS model pioneered in Cebu, utilizing the existing health facilities of the Cebu Province. In April, the first SUBUCAS was inaugurated at the Cebu Provincial Hospital, with its emergency and operating rooms powered by VSMMC’s workforce and resources.
“In less than two weeks, SUGBUCAS Carcar attended 400 consults, 132 admissions, 46 minor and 51 major surgeries, 250 discharges, and only 2 referrals to higher facilities,” Dr. Aquino said.
All of the medical center’s remarkable achievements were acknowledged by the panel, chaired by Ms. Mary Jane Ortega, ISA Trustee and former Mayor of San Fernando La Union. Dr. Maria Belen Carisma, Division Chief of Electrocardiology at the Philippine Heart Center, praised the organization for its remarkable achievements in a short span of time.
“I’d like to congratulate Dr. Aquino Jr. for a very amazing presentation. As I have reviewed it, you’ve done all these since you started with the PGS system. Like, it has spanned around four to five years. You have made tremendous progress,” Dr. Carisma said.
In his acceptance speech, Dr. Aquino expressed gratitude to the men and women at the VSMMC and attributed ISA’s PGS framework to igniting them with an unstoppable drive to achieve their goals.
“Indeed, the PGS has taken us to heights and through the greatest and toughest of our battles. It is our continuing and enduring commitment to embody good governance and to transform ourselves and the organization to suit the dynamic and changing needs of the Filipinos,” he said.