2 hospitals partner to boost liver transplant services

The Manila Times

2 hospitals partner to boost liver transplant services  The Medical City (TMC) and the Rizal Medical Center (RMC) sign a partnership that will allow TMC to share its knowledge, equipment, and facilities to RMC on liver transplantation. Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa witnessed the signing and vowed to study the possibility of including liver transplantation in the benefits of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation and the Medical Assistance program. Dr. Maria Vanessa de Villa, TMC-Center for Liver Disease Management and Transplantation director, and Dr. Rica Lumague, RMC chief, speak to The Manila Times on what the partnership offers and on liver health.  VIDEO BY RED MENDOZA  Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe  Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net    Follow us:  Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook  Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram  Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter  DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion    Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital  Sign up to our newsletters: https://tmt.ph/newsletters   Check out our Podcasts:  Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify  Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts  Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic  Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer  Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein   #themanilatimes #worldnews #medical #health

Transcript

00:00Dr. Stuart Bennett, TMCCO, Dr. Ruben Casada, TMCCMO, Dr. Gregorio Martinez, nursing heads

00:22of both RMC and TMC.

00:25Other leaders and managers of selected units of RMC and TMC.

00:30Our special guests, media friends, ladies and gentlemen, a pleasant good morning to

00:36all.

00:37Special mention to Bruni Cervosa, who is a good friend and you already heard is part

00:42of the original dream team, liver transplant team of this institution.

00:47This morning I will tell you a story.

00:51It was in January 7, 2011, 14 years and two days ago, when we did our first liver transplant

00:59here at the Medical City.

01:01It was in a three-year-old child with end-stage liver disease due to sclerosing cholangitis

01:06who received a left lateral sector graft from her uncle because her parents were not suitable.

01:13The operation was a success.

01:15She recovered, went home, went to school, lived a normal life for a child her age until

01:21she was treated with fulminant dengue in September that year and we lost her with a functioning

01:27graft.

01:28It was heartbreaking.

01:30But this case was the first successful pediatric and living donor liver transplant in the Philippines.

01:38A few attempts performed elsewhere previous to this resulted in early deaths.

01:45There were a few who survived but they were the deceased donors in adults.

01:49So our program grew since then and since then we have performed 26 liver transplants in

01:55both adult and pediatric recipients with acceptable outcomes.

02:00The math is easy.

02:02Since 26 cases in 14 years is only about two cases per year.

02:08Much as we have the expertise and established the program, it was difficult to grow because

02:13of several problems but mainly of two things.

02:17Lack of financial support and the lack of organ donors in this country.

02:22There is no commensurate bill of coverage for liver transplant in the country and patients

02:27pay out of pocket.

02:29This is why we have been losing our patients to other countries where it's cheaper, as

02:34you heard, like India.

02:35It used to be Taiwan, the go-to country, now it's India.

02:39And as we speak, about 230 cases of living donor liver transplant in Filipinos have been

02:45performed in India since 2016 while the total in the Philippines since the late 80s is only

02:52about 80 cases.

02:54Can you imagine?

02:56We definitely fail in comparison to our neighbors here in Asia who are doing it now in the thousands,

03:01thousands.

03:03The government doesn't have to do everything.

03:05In fact, the government is paying subsidy to India because they are able to offer the

03:11cost.

03:12That's my challenge to you.

03:14Because if you can offer me a cost that is competitive to India, I will give you all

03:19the liver transplantation that we find in our 87 hospitals in the Department of Health.

03:24And there will be a lot.

03:26Your hands will be full.

03:27So when Stuart says, don't worry about the profit cost, he's correct.

03:32Because if I give you volume, you will have suddenly profit.

03:36Kitang-in-check power natin mo.

03:41Pag dumami na, you can start having.

03:43And if there is one center that's going to do it, like when we built Heart Center, I

03:48can create the package for PhilHealth because I chaired the benefits package, benefits committee

03:53of PhilHealth.

03:54And you've been hearing all the benefits.

03:58So very important itong public-private partnership.

04:02And this is how I think we can implement universal health coverage in the country.

04:07The problem is supply.

04:09We have demand.

04:11The problem is how do you develop supply.

04:14Government to build a hospital takes about seven years.

04:17Imagine yung mga minoternized mga hospitals.

04:20Inaugurate nila namin.

04:23Duge, panahon pali Pinoy namin, Pinoy ngayon with syntaxation.

04:28It takes about five to seven years to build a center.

04:32And then training is even longer.

04:34To get top people to train a top liver anesthesiologist, a top liver surgeon, a top liver specialist,

04:41to get those people to make them even stay in government when they can earn so much more

04:45in the private sector is another struggle.

04:48How did it start po, yung partnership?

04:51Of course, we already had a liver transplant program here at the Medical City.

04:56Started in 2008, pero 2011 nagawa yung first.

05:00And then through the years, nakita ko na ang konti lang naman ang nagawa.

05:04Even if andyan na yung team, yung expertise.

05:07I thought there's really a need to expand the services na hindi naman namin kaya na private sector alone.

05:14Lalo na yung mga limitations, especially costs.

05:17Isa pang kakulangan dito yung organ donors.

05:20So I said, why don't we partner with government?

05:23And then, actually medyo inaral ko, tinigin ako,

05:27alin ba sa mga DOH hospitals ang pinaka may potential Rizal Medical Center?

05:33Dito sa Medical City for the transplant.

05:36Bano po yung magiging scope po niya?

05:38Ano po yung magiging parang pinaka may partnership po?

05:42Aside from the exchange of ideas and training.

06:13At magiging competitive siya dun sa mga ibang institution na nagbibigay nitong klaseng servisyo,

06:20maaari niya tayong tulungan.

06:22Kasi kasama rin siya sa benefits package ng PhilHealth.

06:26So magkakaroon na ng ganung klaseng benefisyo mula sa PhilHealth, yung liver transplantation.

06:32Tapos kung maaayos natin ang costing, which is yung isa sa mga assignment na ibinigay ni SECTED,

06:39siguro makakahanap kami ng paraan para maging affordable siya dun sa mga nangailangan.

06:47So on the part of Rizal Medical Center, dahil nga siya ay gobyerno at under the Universal Health Act,

06:55kinakailangan lahat ng servisyo maiprovide natin sa ating mga kababayan.

06:59So dun tayong magtatrabaho.

07:09Thank you for watching!

Category

Transcript

Recommended