RIGHT NOW, even if New Year's wishes are not trending anymore I still want to make one not just for myself but for everyone who gets admitted to Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC). I wish that the NMMC would graduate from being a tertiary hospital to a premier medical institution that is open to serve anyone regardless of one's station in life.
I make this wish for other heart patients who until now are keeping their chest pains to themselves. I wish that the NMMC is more than just a center of medical excellence and wellness but a haven for those seeking to be cured of their illnesses. Last Friday March 11, my son-in-law Ed Baisas underwent heart surgery at the Philippine Heart Center in Manila following his mild attack in Cagayan de Oro several weeks ago.
It is his decision to undergo surgery in Manila maybe because he is born and raised in Manila and maybe also due to the costs. Heart disease remains the leading cause of death for both men and women in the US based on the results of studies I googled. I have no idea if it is also true in the Philippines given the Filipino's penchant for eating roasted pig and other sumptuous food.
I am just speaking out my mind on this issue and I believe that it also reflects the thoughts of other patients or people similarly situated. In Cagayan de Oro City, surgery costs in a private hospital runs to millions of pesos and the minimum down payment is P800,000. The cost alone can give anyone a heart attack except if one is moneyed or has access to money. Other than that heart patients can only wait for the opportune time to undergo surgery or pray that some Good Samaritans or public officials can sponsor their surgery.
Heart surgery is expensive no doubt about it. There are many costs associated with this surgery that patients are unaware of, additional fees and of course the professional fee. I have no question about it. This type of surgery requires at least two doctors and in some cases, more.
There is always at least one surgeon performing the procedure and an anesthesia provider. For more involved surgeries, several surgeons may work together to perform the surgery. Each doctor involved in the procedure will usually charge varying fees and they deserve it for having spent so much time, effort and money to acquire the training and expertise they now have.
I knew that also since my other half is a heart patient who is living with a cow’s valve and had his first heart surgery when he was 39. That's how it is with private hospitals. In Cagayan de Oro, I mentioned the NMMC that is formerly known as the Northern Mindanao Regional Training Hospital. This is where I wish that legislators representing the cities and provinces of Northern Mindanao lobby and look for funds to augment its facilities and make it more capable to address the medical needs of their constituents.
The hospital is doing heart surgery too with cardiologist surgeon Bee Jay Rocha and company. They are doing great but the last information I got it is under renovation or I don’t know. The NMMC needs more assistance to not only admit patients with money but indigent patients who can ill afford the best medical care. If these poor patients can avail of quality medical care, then so can those who earn below minimum wage but still pay taxes to the government. Requirements and the criteria for availing of such quality medical care should be redefined and accessible to all if possible.
Fund those hospital departments that deal with heart, kidney and other serious ailments to make it accessible to the poor. Philhealth has this Philhealth Z Package rate. I read that all eligible members and their dependents are qualified to avail of the package provided that they passed the selection criteria set by the agency.
Philhealth should include heart surgery in its package of benefits and make it permanent. Again government funding should be provided at all government hospitals to make this service available for the poor.
We need more government hospitals offering more quality medical services in the Visayas and Mindanao to help patients avoid the cost of transportation and lodging expenses. So many problems to address on this issue.
Again, I repeat my wish for the NMMC to become a premier medical institution and my wish now is the same as that when I was still a news anchor covering the NMMC back when it was still a regional tertiary hospital. Back then I loved doing the rounds, talking to my doctor friends and medical staff who were good at helping their patients and their families. I remembered when it was big news back then when former congressman Erasmo Damasing authored a law in 1995 increasing the NMMC's bed capacity from 50 to 250.
Anyway, the current batch of legislators—the Rodriguezes, the Uys in Cagayan de Oro and Reps. Juliet Uy and Peter Unabia in the province can lobby for increased funding to the NMMC along with other lawmakers in Northern Mindanao. It's just my wish that I hope would come to pass. In the meantime I ask for prayers for Ed's fast recovery and healing as well as the speedy recovery of those who are also afflicted with heart diseases.
Allow me to thank some friends like Barangay Chairman Marlon Tabac of Gusa for responding to my earlier request and Dr. Ma. Elen Santua who helped even if she was assigned in Camiguin province. All those doctors answering my queries even late in the night Drs. Rocha and Caroline Orimaco. Thank you all.
Let us all work to make the NMMC become an institution of medical excellence and wellness.
