Iso Nanhken Iriarte and Madam Ruth Iriarte at the Philippine Heart Center suite room |
IT’S NOT EVERY DAY THAT A PHILIPPINE HOSPITAL TREATS ROYALTY, but
that’s what happened when Iso Nanhken Iriarte and his wife Nahnkeniei, leaders
of the kingdom of Pohnpei of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) went to
the Philippine Heart Center. Iso’s wife needed to have some diagnostic
procedures done on her heart and they chose to go to the Philippine Heart
Center.
Nahnkeniei’s non-royal, birth name is Ruth Iriarte and she is a
Vice-President of the Bank of FSM. She gladly shared her experience as a
patient at the Philippine Heart Center. She said that it was okay for Filipinos
to call her by her birth name—but in Pohnpei, calling her by that would be a
disrespect to her status.
“We chose to go to the Philippine Heart Center because of its
expertise. Also, during my stay here, I feel very much that the doctors and
nurses here really care for me. I feel safe,” said Ruth.
She said that there was a suggestion for her to go to a medical
facility in China. However, she preferred to go to the Philippines for several
reasons.
“First of all, Chinese culture is very different from that of
Pohnpei and the other islands in Micronesia. Our culture and that of the
Philippines are very similar. Also, Filipinos speak English very well,” she
said. Pohnpei, Ruth explained, is a territory under the administration of the
United States and the currency there is the U.S. dollar. This means that she
and her husband are able to change their dollars to pesos in the Philippines.
Her husband, Iso Nahnken, said that the exchange rate between the
two currencies lowers the cost of their travel and medical care in the
Philippines.
Ruth is very appreciative of how the doctors, nurses and other
medical staff treated her. “They treat me very well. They are very friendly,
very caring. I feel cured! I can feel their emotions, I see that they care. To
me, having that kind of relationship is very important.”
Iso Nahnken echoed Ruth’s sentiment. “In FSM, there are Filipino
doctors and they also check on us. They were the ones who recommended that we
go to the Philippine Heart Center.”
The royal couple also found their hospital room comfortable enough
for both of them to stay there instead of a hotel. “I find it very comfortable
and safe. I like it better here than in a hotel,” said Ruth.
Iso added that he found staying at the hospital very convenient.
“The accommodations are all right. The space is big enough for us to stay in.
It’s easy to get whatever we need right here at the hospital,” he said.
The even shared a very interesting story about the Philippine
Heart Center involving Iso’s brother. According to them, Iso’s brother went
through cardiovascular surgery ten years ago at the Philippine Heart Center.
The brother was extremely pleased at how his Filipino cardiologist and surgeon
attended to them.
“My brother felt that his cardiologist and the rest of the medical
staff at the Philippine Heart Center treated them like family. He felt that his
doctor was not only treating them as patients—he said that he was practically a
parent to him when he was here.
“The doctor operated on my brother on the same day that his son
was born. And so, when the baby was born, they named the baby after the
surgeon. That boy is now ten years old, and his name is Charleson, named after
the doctor,” Iso revealed.
By mid-2012, the Philippine Heart Center will be the first in the Philippines and third in Asia to have the Hybrid Operating Room |
Filipinos
first
According to Dr.
Gerardo Manzo, the Philippine Heart Center’s Assistant Director for Medical
Services, the Philippine Heart Center treats about 350 to 450 foreign patients
a year—a small number compared to the 13,000 Filipino patients that the
facility is able to treat on an annual basis. However, he said that the PHC
would not mind being able to treat more foreign patients, since this still
benefits their facility’s Filipino patients.
“That is where we
try to balance things. Whatever subsidy the Heart Center gets from government,
all of it automatically goes to the charity wards, to be spent on the patients
there. The rest of whatever revenues the hospitals gets is spent on salaries,
operations and maintenance costs. Now, whatever extra earnings the hospital
receives--from medical tourism, for example--also goes to the Filipino patients
in our charity wards. So in the end, our Filipino patients are still the ones
that benefit.
“So, if we were
to send a message to foreign patients, it would be that if they go for
treatment at the Philippine Heart Center, they would be receiving quality,
compassionate and patient-focused care from an internationally accredited,
world-class cardiovascular facility—and at the same time, they would also be
able to help Filipino patients of limited means to receive the same type of care.
That’s a good thing—the ones that can afford medical care are able to help
those with lesser means,” Dr. Manzo explained.
He added that the
Philippine Heart Center does not charge separate rates for foreign patients and
Filipino patients. Both groups are charged the same rates, and these rates are
published in the hospital’s website at www.phc.gov.ph.
And yet, the
Philippine Heart Center has not been actively marketing itself as a world-class
cardiovascular facility, which is exactly what it is by now after it was
awarded a Gold Certification from Accreditation Canada International in August 2011.
The accreditation, according to Manzo,
was not done for foreign patients—it was sought primarily to ensure the quality
of the Philippine Heart Center’s service to Filipinos.
“Let me make it clear that the Philippine
Heart Center is here primarily to provide medical care to Filipinos. All of the
improvements we’ve made to bring to world-class levels the quality of our
facilities, equipment, medical and surgical treatments, operations and services
have been done--and will continue to be done--to benefit Filipino patients.
Now, if foreign patients wish to come to us for treatment, then we will admit
them because we are sure that we would be able to treat them here,” he said.
Recently, the Philippine Heart Center
acquired the very first Lighting Room in its ICU; it is the very first in Asia
and only the second in the world. The Lighting Room has its lights operated by
software that follows the human circadian rhythm, which aids in treating
patients by making sure their natural rhythms of rest and recovery are
maintained.
The Philippine Heart Center will have, by
mid-2012, the first and only Hybrid Operating Room in the Philippines and only
the third Hybrid OR in Asia. A Hybrid OR is a highly-advanced and complex
working environment for large teams of surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists and
technicians. The Hybrid OR allows all the members of the medical team to work
efficiently and seamlessly together, which greatly increases the success of the
surgery for the patient.
Dr. Manzo said
that the Philippine Heart Center currently has 382 rooms and will soon be
expanding to 450 rooms. “We want people to know that the Philippine Heart
Center is always doing its utmost to continually upgrade its facilities and
services, in order to serve our patients better. This is our lifelong commitment.” he said.
Prices of Selected Medical Procedures
Diagnostic Procedure/Treatment
|
Package Rate
|
Length of Stay
|
Cardiovascular Check-Up
|
P20,500 – P23,000
|
24 hours
|
Executive Check-Up
|
P35,700 – P38,500
|
48 hours
|
Coronary Angiogram
|
P48,200 – P65,000
|
3 days
|
Right & Left Catheterization
|
P63,000 – P94,000
|
3 days
|
Pacemaker Surgery
|
P101,224 – P210,152
|
4 days
|
Aneurism Surgery
|
P394,912 – P561,224
|
7 days
|
Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting
|
P405,040 – P1,156,640
|
8 days
|
*Includes cost of hospitalization,
medication, operating room and professional fees. Does not include cost of blood and/or
screening of blood products and cost of Intra Aortic Balloon, Graft for
Peripheral Vascular Bypass, Cardiac Rehabilitation, Pacemaker, Introducer
Sheaths an Complication of Surgery.
For complete list of procedures and package rates, please visit www.phc.gov.ph
For complete list of procedures and package rates, please visit www.phc.gov.ph
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