On its 52nd year, Makati Medical Center (MakatiMed) continues to be driven by malasakit in providing compassionate care and excellent healthcare services not just to the patients but also to the employees and the community amid a global health crisis.
As the world continues to fight COVID-19, the hospital remains steadfast in upholding its values and doing what is right for the health and safety of the patients and for the greater good of the MakatiMed community.
Timely and quick pandemic response. When the first COVID-19 case in MakatiMed was detected in March 2020, the hospital swiftly responded: all mass gatherings were banned, only skeletal workforce was allowed, and teleconsultation was encouraged. Throughout the pandemic, the hospital coped with the surge in cases through adhering to strict prevention and control protocols, expansion of bed capacities, and protection of healthcare workers.
MakatiMed was also one of the first institutions that was certified as a testing center for COVID-19 by the Department of Health (DOH). In a race to develop an effective treatment for the COVID-19 pandemic, MakatiMed joined nominated hospitals in the Philippines for a worldwide Solidarity Trial by the World Health Organization (WHO) to study measured the effectiveness of four treatment options against COVID-19.
MakatiMed also provided its frontliners Safety Shield Packs, Family Grocery Care Bags, free transport service, accommodations, haircut, mental health consultation, and COVID-19 tests to support and ease the burden and challenges faced by the staff in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic especially during the ECQ period.
Innovate services. As part of the hospital’s Always Safe and Healthy Normal campaign, MakatiMed launched services that patients can avail of in the comfort of their vehicles or homes.
For laboratory procedures that require blood extractions and Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) tests, the hospital now offers Laboratory Drive-Thru Service at the Convergys’ Dela Rosa Open Parking in partnership with Ayala Land, Inc. that have swabbing and blood collection services.
MakatiMed also provides Integrative Palliative and Home Care Services that include adult vaccination services like pneumococcal and flu vaccines and packages. Other specialized services in the roster include bed sore monitoring, wound care, and pain management.
The hospital also allows thyroid function tests, endocrine tests, hepatitis tests, and endocrine dynamic tests to be conducted at home. There’s ENT Home Service for various pediatric ear tests and procedures too. MakatiMed’s own Vascular and Lymphedema Center has also launched house-call services such as vascular exercise, manual lymphatic drainage, ArtAssist, and vascular walk test.
MakatiMed has also quickly adapted to the quarantine orders by giving patients a chance to consult with doctors in the safety of their home via MakatiMed TeleMD.
Educating hospital staff and laypeople online. Throughout the pandemic, MakatiMed has hosted several virtual educational activities like webinars and lay forum to equip its staff and the rest of the community with the proper medical knowledge on the management for COVID-19 cases. It also heled a webinar series about anxiety, depression, and the resilience and vulnerability of frontliners. Other medical topics covered by MakatiMed’s virtual educational events include ENT/head and neck health, epilepsy, and minimally invasive gynecologic surgery.
Enhanced infrastructure. Amid a tough year, MakatiMed has remained committed to its commitment to provide its patients with the best experience. That’s why it has opened the PET (Positron Emission Tomography) Imaging Center, which is a key development in the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of diseases, especially cancer. The Center, led by internationally-trained nuclear medicine and radiology staff, is equipped with the Discovery Molecular Imaging 128 Slice Time of Flight (TOF) PET/CT system, a scanner that combines PET and CT scan images providing fast and accurate imaging that helps reduce a patient’s radiation exposure.
Designed to address holistic healthcare and cater to the overall well-being of patients, Makati Medical Center has also introduced the MakatiMed Wellness Center (MWC) at Ayala North Exchange in Makati City. It is a non-hospital environment where patients are welcomed to a warm and comfortable space that gives them access to leading healthcare practitioners and various diagnostic and imaging services, skin and laser procedures, and health screening services.
In a year that overwhelmed healthcare systems everywhere, MakatiMed has proven its leadership and willingness to go beyond than expected for its patients and staff. In fact, it has received various awards and recognitions for its efforts against COVID-19 including the Excellence Award from the Asian Hospital Management Awards (AHMA), a prestigious ceremony that recognizes and honors hospitals in the Asia Pacific and a special recognition from the International Hospital Federation (IHF), an international not for profit, non-governmental membership organization which provides a platform for the exchange of knowledge and strategic experience in the healthcare sector.
MakatiMed also received a Certificate of Recognition for Commitment to Excellence from the Philippine Society for Quality (PSQ) during the 31st National Quality Forum and 1st World Innovation & Benchmarking Summit. The PSQ Excellence Awards recognizes organizations’ excellence in terms of best operational practices, processes, and initiatives, as well as innovations and high-performing cross-functional teams.
MakatiMed also received several honors from the Gawad Bayaning Kalusugan, a national award and tribute to frontliners in the health care and case management of patients with COVID-19, with the MakatiMed COVID-19 Task Force winning the the Team Category for the national award and Medical Director Saturnino P. Javier, MD being declared as an overall winner in the Individual Category. MakatiMed’s Head of Infection Prevention and Control Janice C. Caoili, MD was also recognized as a winner in the Individual Category.
All these and more demonstrate MakatiMed’s longstanding commitment to the safety and welfare of its patients, hospital staff, and constituents—that they remain at the core of the hospital’s day-to-day operations and long-term goals.
For more information, please contact MakatiMed On-Call at +632.8888 8999, email mmc@makatimed.net.ph, or visit www.makatimed.net.ph.
