Every year stroke affects an estimated half a million Filipinos, claiming the lives of over 87,000, making it the second leading cause of death in the Philippines.
In response to this crisis, Mary Mediatrix Medical Center (MMMC), a tertiary hospital in Lipa, Batangas, has launched its Institute for Clinical Neurosciences to help ease the burden for patients in Southern Luzon.
“The Institute for Clinical Neurosciences is providing neurology expertise to treat stroke and other brain diseases. At the same time, it is bringing in advanced equipment like MRI machines, CT Scans, neuro-microscope for neurological procedures, EMG-NCV machines, EEGs; and an epilepsy monitoring unit,” said Dr. Edna Cuasay, Chief of the Institute for Clinical Neurosciences of MMMC.
The new Center for Excellence is intended to address the shortage of neurologists in Batangas and nearby provinces as well as provide advanced, high-tech diagnostic and treatment services, and research to add to the knowledge resources for brain diseases in the country. Stroke is also known as “brain attack.”
Dr. Cuasay added, “It used to be that the only venues for training neurologists were concentrated in NCR. However, thanks to the efforts of both government and tertiary hospitals, we are expanding these training facilities outside NCR. Here in Southern Luzon, we have only one neurology training facility which is Mary Mediatrix Medical Center.”
According to Dr. Cuasay there are two types of stroke: an ischemic stroke where a blood clot blocks a brain blood vessel; and, a hemorrhagic stroke where a brain vessel bursts and bleeds.
“Here in Mary Mediatrix, we have full services to perform procedures that treat both types of strokes. Whether that calls for a thrombolysis that can reverse the stroke, or removing the blood clot through thrombectomy or the basket method,” she explained.
Dr. Cuasay said that stroke is the number one cause of disability in the Philippines and in Batangas. She underscored the crucial importance of responding as quickly as possible in cases of disabling, potentially fatal diseases like stroke.
“Time is the most important factor not only in saving a patient’s life but also in helping a patient recover and restore quality of life,” she noted. “When responders, whether emergency personnel, doctors, or loved ones, save time in accessing treatment for a patient, they are saving lives.”
Through the new Institute for Clinical Neurosciences of MMMC, patients in Southern Tagalog, and even as far as Quezon or Bicol can now access advanced, effective treatment for stroke and other brain conditions faster. Those disabled by stroke will have a greater chance to recover mobility and restore physical and mental functions through medical treatment and therapy.
With the opening of the Institute for Clinical Neurosciences, Mary Mediatrix Medical Center now has four Centers for Excellence including their Cancer Institute, Kidney Institute, and Cardiovascular Institute. For more information, call +63 43 773 6800.
