ZAMBOANGA CITY – A medical delegation is expected to arrive here next week to perform the first open heart surgery in the Zamboanga Peninsula, a local cardiologist revealed during a press conference here on Wednesday, October 4.
ZAMBOANGA City Medical Center doctors Walid Amil and Pompeyo Torres III announce plans to perform the first-ever open-heart surgery in Zamboanga City. (Photo via Liza Jocson)
Dr. Walid Amil, Zamboanga City Medical Center (ZCMC) cardiologist, said a 30-man delegation of doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel will stay in this city from October 16 to 21 to perform heart surgeries on pediatric patients.
The delegation is headed by Doctors Jun Abanilla and Gerard Manzo of the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City.
A total of 18 pediatric patients who have heart-related conditions were identified by cardiologists at the ZCMC to undergo the operation.
The operation will be performed inside two operating rooms of the Tzu-Chi Eye Center inside the ZCMC compound.
Each operation will last about four hours long and will take five days for the patients to recuperate, said Amil.
The medical surgery, described as a medical milestone, will be first of its kind here and Region 9.
Dr. Pompeyo Torres III, Zamboanga City cardiovascular anesthesiologist, said the mission aims to help patients from here who need to travel to Metro Manila and even abroad to undergo heart-related surgeries.
Torres said the arrival of the delegation is merely the start towards performing more heart-related surgeries in this city.
Medical delegations are expected to arrive here in the future to perform similar surgeries on adult patients.