MindanaoToday.com | NMMC waitlists 100 heart patients daily
By: Uriel Quilinguing
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines – Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC), a government’s apex hospital which has been grappling with an influx of heart patients, inaugurated on Valentine’s Day, February 14, its Cardiovascular Care Center (CCC) although this facility started serving the public over a decade ago.
Since 2013, what used to be NMMC’s Invasive Cardiology and Interventional Radiology Section, manned by personnel trained at the Philippine Heart Center, had taken cared of over 10,000 adult and pediatric patients. These include some 200 surgeries, 200 catheter procedures, and 2,000 diagnostic procedures.
Every day, there are about a hundred patients in the waiting list, according to heart surgeon Dr. Bernard Julius Rocha, head of the NMMC-CCC, in a forum a week ago.
At the inaugural program, Undersecretary Abdullah Dumama Jr. of the Department of Health (DOH) Field Implementation and Coordination Team for Visayas and Mindanao, challenged those behind the NMMC-CCC to keep on providing “health care of high-quality to ensure the facility’s long-term viability and improvement.”
“Because of this facility, the (DOH) regional office will be able to meet one of its aims of expanding specialized centers beyond urban areas, in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s direction to deliver health services in Mindanao,” Dumama said.
Dr. Jose Chan, the NMMC chief, assured the visiting DOH official that the center’s facilities and personnel are ready and committed to provide compassionate and comprehensive care to cardiac patients. He said they are looking forward to a future of advancement and enhanced cardiovascular health for the community.
He described the NMMC-CCC as a “significant milestone” in their commitment to cardiac health since 2013, the year they started admitting patients with heart problems, only referring cases to the Philippine Heath Center (PHC) they were incapable of handling.
Former PHC Executive Director Manuel Chuachiaco Jr., who pushed for a separate building for NMMC-CCC and facilitated the training of physicians on heart surgery and cardiology specializations, graced the historic center inauguration and 10th anniversary.
“The journey has been difficult, but it has made NMMC what it is now–a specialty center and a pride of Northern Mindanao,” Dr. Ellenietta Gamolo, head of the DOH in Northern Mindanao said in her congratulatory message. “Let us continue to promote a healthy heart and lifestyle,” she added.
In a forum a week ago, Rocha said they will always be in their toes because heart disease has been among the leading causes of deaths and diseases in Northern Mindanao, in the country and even worldwide. As a lifestyle disease, the risk factors include hypertension, cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, and stress.
For instance, ischemic heart disease, which could cause stroke and even death, ranked first in the January to July 2023 data from the Philippine Statistics Authority. There were more than 65,000 deaths traced to ischemic heart disease during the period. The disease refers to the weakening of the heart weakening caused by reduced blood flow to the heart. This is the result of coronary artery disease, a condition that occurs when coronary arteries narrow.
NMMC-CCC personnel has performed coronary heart bypass, microvalve surgery, valve-replacement, pacemaker insertion, and other cardiology procedures involving congenital and aortic diseases on adults and children, Rocha said. “There is no heart-transplant yet here and in the country,” he added. (MT)
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