Business groups honored and recognized the country’s health sector for leading the front lines in the battle against COVID-19.
Gawad Bayaning Kalusugan was presented by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry together with the Association of Allied Health Organizations of the Nation and Health Educationalists, Advocates and Leaders of the Philippines as well as different business organizations and health associations.
PCCI president Benedicto Yujuico said the “health front-liners are the true heroes of this pandemic and we are and should forever be grateful.”
The panel of judges used well-defined criteria and rubric scoring in coming up with the list of finalists.
Gawad Bayaning Kalusugan awarded 24 winners, all front-liners who have invested not only their time and talent but their lives in the fight against the pandemic.
The winners are Dr. Saturnino Javier of the Makati Medical Center. His exemplary performance and committed delineation of functions as both medical director, interim co-CEO, and chief of cardiology clearly demonstrated essential leadership qualities which included innovative persuasion, resourcefulness, and commendable attitudes that speak of respect for truth, decency, and integrity.
Dr. Javier said the recognition rendered value for something they thought was just a job and comes with an ordinary performance of a duty. As he shared the award to all front-liners, he was overwhelmed for the honor of pursuing a difficult yet significant task during the time of the pandemic. He offered the recognition to all those who offered their lives and health in responding to the challenge.
Nurse Scheherazade Edza Ibrahim of the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center has developed training designs and conducted lectures and trainings on the prevention and control of COVID-19 to different schools, offices, communities and groups. She has played a big role in the launching and establishment of the CRMC COVID-19 Isolation Facility Extension.
Dr. Amelita Rame Cuzon of the Quezon City General Hospital Medical Center, who despite getting sick with the virus, remained on top of handling three Hope facilities 24/7 to ensure the integrity of the city's commitment throughout the pandemic. Upon recovery, she embraced the role more of being in the front line to protect and save others, earning her the unofficial yet endearing title of, “COVIDIVA”.
Dr. Leonell Albert Lopez Quitos of the Adventist Medical Center, the only infectious disease specialist in Iligan City, was recognized as a Gawad Bayaning Kalusugan awardee. He managed his time to serve six different hospitals to attend to the needs of COVID-19 positive patients until he recommended to set up a center facility which led to a better management of the patients.
Dr. Janice C. Caoili of the Makati Medical Center started the use of Electronic Healthcare Worker Risk Exposure Assessment which enabled faster data collection on exposed healthcare worker to a confirmed COVID-19 patient/co-worker. This led to more systematic, practical, appropriate guidelines to mitigate the risk of transmission on their hospital as she also advocates continuous research and learning, resulting in more effective strategies.
Keempee Laserna Llorico, another nurse awardee from San Juan De Dios Educational Foundation Inc., has left the seminary to serve the people both through prayers and nursing care. He is a person of faith paired with action.
Dr. Helen Valenzona Madamba of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center has played a significant role in the community by serving as a maternal health advocate, continuously initiating blood donations even during the time of the pandemic. She promoted alternative ways of communication with pregnant women especially those with HIV.
Meanwhile, Dr. Rontgene Mantua Solante of the San Lazaro Hospital has selflessly shared his time on interviews as the source of information in diagnosis, prevention, and management of COVID-19 and on issues important to the members of the sub-task force unit clinical management under the Department of Health.
His enthusiasm and passion served as a source of inspiration and a strong motivator for everyone to work for the common cause.
Dr. Julius Almario Lecciones of the Philippine Children's Medical Center has envisioned their hospital’s contribution to national government’s efforts in fighting COVID-19 due to lacking of COVID-19 Molecular Testing Laboratory in the country. He was able to establish one through the assistance of Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship Inc. and embarked on a sample pooling research study with Philippine Society of Pathologist.
Dr. Alfonso Victorino Famaran Jr. of Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital and Sanitarium was constantly seen in the hospital vicinity doing his rounds, personally overseeing COVID operations which exhibits his resiliency amid challenges and animosities, his tireless dedication to the service, and his unyielding support for everything that’s good and noble, proved his devotion to the profession.
Dr. Aileen Manalansan Mallari of the Tondo Medical Center has helped in delivering quality health service to more than 2,000 COVID-19 positive, probable, and suspected cases. She updates information of admitted and non-admitted patients which are then reported to the Epidemiology Bureau and addresses their concerns any time of the day with the use of available social media platform.
Dr. Primo Bagasao Valenzuela of the Rizal Medical Center personally consolidated the daily census of patients, available beds, available ventilators, and other necessary information and was responsible in submitting these to DOH, while leading their Infection Prevention and Control Committee to be empowered with his teachings and trainings.
The 12 Gawad Bayaning Kalusugan Team Category winners include the National Kidney and Transplant Institute CoViD-19 Response Team and the Makati Medical Center COVID Task Force.
Other awardees were the Mary Mediatrix Medical Center COVID Task Force, the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center Family and Community Medicine Department, the Feel Better Manila Med Medical Centere Manila, the San Lazaro Hospital COVID Pioneer Team, the Cotabato Regional, and Medical Center Hospital EREID Incident Command System, the Siliman University Medical Center COVID-19
Knowledge-Based Medical Management Advisory Board, the Ospital ng Imus-NSD Delta Team, the Sta Ana Hospital Medical COVID Warriors, the Garcia Memorial Provincial Hospital Giving Meaning Purpose and Hope Team and Mindanao Central Sanitarium and General Hospital Frontliners.
Dr. Rose Marie R Liquete, who received the award in behalf of the NKTI, considered the recognition as a humbling tribute to those who are working tirelessly to stem the transmission of the disease.
Yujuico led the panel of judges that included former PCCI president Alegria Limjoco and stalwart of the Philippine Franchise Association, George Barcelon of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council, Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. of the Philippine Exporters Federation Francis Chua of the Philippine Silkroad International Chamber of Commerce, Alberto Fenix of the PCCI Human Resource Development Foundation, Engineer Eunina Mangio, Jess Varela of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines, Rosemarie Ong and Paul Santos of the Philippine Retailers Association, Jeffrey Ng of the Federation of the Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Alex Cabrera of the PwC Philippines and Mon Abrea of the Asian Consulting Group.
From the health sector, the judges include former Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial, Jose Rene De Grano of the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines, Mario Panaligan of the Philippine College of Physicians, Benito Atienza of the Philippine Medical Association, Linda Buhat of the Association of the Nursing Service Administrators of the Philippines, Florminda Tejano of the Philippine League of Government and Private Midwives, Ed Salud of the Philippine Hospital Association, nurse-priest Fr. Ronilo Ordenes and nurse-sister Agnetia Naval.
Entrepreneur Carl Balita initiated the recognition as a tribute to individual health professionals and health care teams who actually risked their lives on a daily basis so others may live.
All the business and health groups agreed that the Gawad Bayaning Kalusugan was a distinction of immeasurable proportion to recognize health professionals who are also terrified of the virus but took the high road to lead the battle so that others may live.