New equipment allows VSMMC to conduct open-heart surgery

The Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center is now capable of conducting cardiac catheterization and open-heart surgery with the recent opening of its state-of-the-art equipment and facilities.

VSMMC is one of the major recipients of the "Development of Subspecialty Capabilities for Heart, Lung and Kidney Patients in the Philippine Project" of the Department of Health and Philips Medical Systems Nedland B.V. under the Health Sector Reform Agenda.

Hospital beneficiaries include the Philippine Health Center in Metro Manila, the Davao Medical Center and the Northern Mindanao Medical Center in Cagayan de Oro City, and the Bicol Regional Training and Health Center.

The Philips Allura Xper FD 20 machine can help diagnose coronary artery diseases and is reportedly the most high-end machine available here in Cebu.

The project would provide patients in Metro Cebu and its neighboring provinces greater access to world-class health care services, with very specialized diagnostic intervention, at affordable cost.

VSMMC is the fourth Cathlab in Cebu that has the capability to diagnose coronary artery diseases other than the Perpetual Succour Hospital, Cebu Doctors Hospital and Chong Hua Hospital.

Dr. Criselda Abesamis, director of the National Center for Health Facility Development, said that Cebuanos especially the indigents can now avail of the highly sophisticated medical equipment and facilities.

"The program is just timely with the high cost of hospitalization of patients suffering from heart disease," she noted.

The project was started in the first half of 2001 with the feasibility study conducted by the DOH and Philips Medical Systems to assess the needs and to define a plan to improve patient care in the different regional hospitals and medical centers in the country.

The project was finally approved in the latter part of 2005 obtaining financial support from the government of Netherlands under the Dutch Official Development Aide Program called Miliev Program in partnership with Philips Medical Systems that provided the delivery and installation of medical equipment and related services.

The partnership paved the way for the installation of state-of-the-art Philips medical equipment for non-invasive procedures, diagnostic and imaging, operating theater, recovery areas as well as third parties items for haemodialysis and endoscopy.

The upgrading of the government hospitals is under the Miliev Program of the Netherlands government, which extended a grant to the DOH for the upgrading also of specialty heart-lung-kidney centers. Philips Medical Systems is supplying the medical equipment and related services for the program.

The Dutch government subsidized the total investment of 22.5 million euros with a 35 percent grant element for the procurement of extensive supplies and related services for the project. The remaining 65 percent is offered as a loan to be paid at an interest rate of less than five percent for 10 years with a grace period of two years.

The project includes the supply of equipment inclusive of delivery, implementation, installation, testing, commissioning and handling as well as clinical and technical training of the technical and clinical staff of the hospital on the equipment.

It also includes a five-year comprehensive maintenance period for labor cost and spare parts. - Jasmin R. Uy