The city government of Makati announced on Wednesday it has started sending medical specialists to villages to serve residents who find difficulties going to the hospital for health check-ups.
Mayor Abigail Binay said the Ospital ng Makati initiated this specialized health care through its new barangay community service program. She added the hospital is bringing health specialists to four selected barangays in the first district beginning last Tuesday.
OsMak, the premier tertiary hospital run by the city government, will be fielding specialists from Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and General Surgery to the health centers of Barangays Pio del Pilar, Poblacion, Sta. Cruz, and San Antonio. These barangays are all from Makati City’s District 1. The hospital is in the second district.
“I would like to congratulate OsMak for consistently delivering quality healthcare to our constituents in Makati. This community service program is a big help to residents of barangays in District 1 who find it difficult commuting to the hospital for their check-ups,” Binay said.
“This is our way of bringing specialized healthcare to them because we want to considerably improve the quality of life of every Makatizen,” she added.
OsMak launched the program in partnership with the Makati Health Department who chose the four pilot barangays. Under the program, second and third-year residents from OsMak will take morning or afternoon duties from Tuesday to Friday. Morning schedule is 9am to 12noon while afternoon schedule is 1 pm to 4 pm.
The OsMak doctors will entertain both scheduled and walk-in patients in the said barangay health centers, especially discharged patients from OsMak who need follow-up check-ups. Apart from screening patients who need specialized medical care, the doctors will also conduct lectures and training for health workers, patients, and their relatives.
The resident-doctors will also assist in the implementation of national health programs in the barangays. More importantly, the specialists will conduct lay fora on common surgical illnesses; communicable and non-communicable diseases; mother’s classes; and child protection workshops, to name a few.
Surgery residents will be performing minor surgeries like circumcision, incision, and drainage, change of foley catheter, change of dressing, removal of stitches and others at the designated health center. However, patients who need tertiary surgical care will be referred to OsMak.
For Brgy. Pio del Pilar, they will have surgery residents every Tuesday morning; Internal Medicine on Wednesday afternoons; Ob-Gyn on Thursday afternoons; and Pedia on Friday afternoons.
Brgy. San Antonio, on the other hand, will have Pedia residents every Tuesday afternoon; Surgery on Wednesday mornings; Internal Medicine on Thursday afternoons; and Ob-Gyn on Friday mornings.
Brgy. Sta Cruz will have Ob-Gyn and Pedia residents on Tuesday mornings; Surgery on Thursday mornings; and Internal Medicine on Friday afternoons.
Lastly, Brgy. Poblacion will have Internal Medicine residents on Tuesday afternoons; Ob-Gyn on Wednesday afternoons; and Surgery on Friday mornings.
According to OsMak, the community service program creates a seamless referral system for specialty cases to OsMak. Additionally, they can share or transfer technology and expertise by training barangay health workers as well initiating lectures and seminars on specific diseases like breast cancer, prostate, thyroid, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and others.
MHD, on the other hand, said the program is a permanent addition to the city’s health services. It also augments the available medical staff in health centers. The MHD may add more barangays to the program after several months.
Last month, OsMak celebrated its 30th founding anniversary. What began as a small, one-storey structure at Malugay St. slowly evolved into the state of the art, internationally recognized multi-specialty hospital it is today.
OsMak is the first locally-run hospital in the country to be accredited as a Center of Excellence by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, or PhilHealth.
Today, the hospital provides free outpatient consultations and subsidized hospitalization benefits to Makati residents and Yellow Card beneficiaries. It offers a wide range of quality medical services, which include Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, Surgery, Ophthalmology, Internal Medicine, Dialysis, Otorhinolaryngology, Dermatology, Radiology and Laboratory, among others.
In July 2017, Mayor Binay inaugurated OsMak’s very own Eye Center to give the best ophthalmic care adapted to the needs of Makati residents. The facility can accommodate about 100 patients per day, covering a wide range of services which include cataract, glaucoma, surgical procedures, and diabetic retinopathy. The Eye Center has skilled surgeons, consultants, and residents from the Department of Ophthalmology.
In September, OsMak started its Ambulatory Chemotherapy Program for Yellow Card beneficiaries. The hospital also reported decreased mortality rates for 2017.
OsMak continues to earn the respect and admiration of its peers with awards and distinctions. The Department of Health’s Health Facilities and Services Regulatory Board and Philhealth granted OsMak the license to operate as a level 3 general hospital with a 300-bed capacity.
Training Program Accreditations have also been issued to the Department of Ophthalmology, the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, and the Department of Family and Community Medicine. OsMak is a rich training ground for doctors who specialize in various fields. The doctors attending to Makati residents have been trained by the best mentors and have put in hundreds of clinical hours.
Last year, OsMak also received funding and equipment donations which include two vein finders, three incubators, and three ultrasound machines. The hospital was also awarded P10 million by the DOH through the office of Representative Luis Campos.
Mayor Binay added that OsMak continues to bring pride and honor to the city with its excellent track record and high patient satisfaction rate.
This year, OsMak will be applying for ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System certification as well as vying for the coveted Red Orchid Award given by the DOH. The winners are judged based on the strength of comprehensive efforts to implement a 100% Tobacco-Free Environment in their facility.