Raising the Bar of Healthcare: Hear From The Medical City's Inspiring Leaders

Fuelled by its forward-thinking vision, The Medical City leads the charge into a healthier future for all

Recently a recipient of the Medical Tourism Initiative of the Year–Philippines and Hospital of the Year– Philippines awards at the Healthcare Asia Awards 2022, The Medical City (TMC) is undoubtedly an esteemed purveyor of world-class healthcare in the country, bolstered by its acclaim. Yet when the pandemic hit in 2020, TMC was only among the many hospitals to welcome a deluge of Covid-19 patients, plagued by the inexplicable burden and grief of the times.

"We knew we had to take the forefront," began TMC president and CEO Dr Eugenio Jose F Ramos. As their eventual collaboration with other private and private-public hospitals successfully initiated the designation of government hospitals for Covid-19 patients, Dr Ramos's leadership inspired equally fervent waves of change within TMC.

Repurposing its facilities, TMC notably transformed its separate emergency rooms for paediatric and adult patients respectively into diagnostic units for Covid and non-Covid patients. To ensure the health and wellness of its hardworking staff, on the other hand, the hospital prioritised provisions of transportation and spaces where its modern-day heroes could eat and rest without the risk of infection.

"We were able to respond with the utmost safety in bringing the best clinical care to our patients while protecting our healthcare workers, including at one point having 700 of our staff live in the hospital," shares TMC chairman Jose Xavier "Eckie" B Gonzales. While this was a necessary step to protect everyone from the virus, there were also simply no words for how isolating it was, as several were separated from their families for weeks at a time. Dr Ramos says that it was thus fortunate they were able to use digital technology to keep them in touch with loved ones. "What was important was that people had that experience of being part of a community," he wistfully adds, mentioning the many donations they received from outside the hospital. "It was during this time that the sense of community started coming in from everywhere else."

The technology that emerged during the pandemic has now also acquired a certain degree of permanence, Dr Ramos attests. Perhaps most evinced in TMC’s establishment of Home Care Services early in 2021, Dr Ramos believes this is the future of the industry. “We [now] realise that the hospital can just be a place for acute care, for people who are with chronic diseases, with acute exacerbations,” he imparts. “We know that healthcare now doesn’t necessarily need to be confined to the hospital. You can be treated anywhere, and that’s where we’re headed.”

True to its value proposition, “Where Patients are Partners”, Dr Ramos says he hopes that Home Care also inspires more people to take better accountability for their health, ushering in a healthier Philippines altogether. Alongside this, TMC’s reach across the country is especially noteworthy, thanks to its strong commitment to keeping patrons engaged and educated through social media. “I don’t think people realise that medicine is a business of continuous ‘laymanising’ of health,” Gonzales states. “We believe that, as health and treatments evolve, we must engage our potential customers along. As such, patients come here because of the power of our institutional brand, and that brand is not just promoting. It’s really about storytelling, anchored on our commitment to a very strong training programme that pushes the frontiers of research and translates into practice.”

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Truly setting an unprecedented calibre of excellence in the industry, TMC also celebrates its sixth re-accreditation by the Joint Commission International for maintaining the highest standards that are at par with the best hospitals in the world. Motivated by this to improve further, Dr Ramos says, “We are driven by our vision to be an influence on how Filipinos think about health. I think that kind of mindset is what animates the way we do things here in TMC.” Indeed, wherever healthcare is concerned, TMC can be trusted to take risks, make a difference and lead the way forward.

For more information, visit themedicalcity.com and follow The Medical City on Facebook.

Road to Recovery: How The Medical City is Raising the Bar of Healthcare