HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRIPE-VINE: OUR NEW ABNORMAL
On Nov. 24, 2023, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. inaugurated the Healthway Cancer Care Hospital (HCCH) at Arca South, Taguig. AC Health, a subsidiary of Ayala Corporation is responsible for the new hospital; and on hand during the inauguration, leading the list of dignitaries, were Department of Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa, Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano, AC Health Chairman Fernando Zobel de Ayala, and AC Health President and CEO Paolo Borromeo.
The hospital consists of five floors, includes 100 beds, four specialized operating theaters, two advanced endoscopy rooms, an expanded outpatient chemotherapy unit, and an integrated outpatient department with a specialized women’s health center. Given that lung and breast cancer are the two cancers behind the most number of cancer-related deaths in the nation, the vision for HCCH is crystal clear - as AC Health President Paolo Borromeo exclaims, “… to be the leading private cancer care institution, providing world class treatment to a broader base of Filipinos.” HCCH seeks to offer more affordable rates for diagnostics, radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery.
For HCCH Medical Advisory Council Head Dr. Conrado Lorenzo, HCCH President and CEO Jaime Ysmael, and HCCH Medical Director Dr. Manuel Roxas, the challenge is there, and ready to be met. This to transform cancer care in the Philippines to something more affordable and effective, to adopt an approach that’s multi-disciplinary and collaborative, and to put the patient at the center of all that transpires - making her or him a knowing and active part of the consultative cancer care “ecosystem.” If the old school saw most cancer patients just consulting with one doctor - for example, an oncology surgeon; HCCH was out to update and upgrade the protocol, and now be at par with the best global cancer care centers.
I had the privilege of visiting the Healthway Cancer Care Hospital earlier in the year, when it was still a work in progress, at a time when opening the center to patients still seemed a long way off. So it was so rewarding to have listened to Paolo Borromeo and architect Dan Lichauco conferring with Ayala Corporation’s Jaime Z. Urquijo back then - and now have Paolo and the HCCH Management team talking about how they are in the process of accepting patients and delivering on the promise - leveraging on how the Healthway Medical Network has 15 outpatient centers, four general hospitals, and extensive digital reach through AC Health’s KonsultaMD app.
The Management team of AC Health, and the Healthway Cancer Care Hospital.
The big picture sees this specialty health facility as one of the cogs in the wheel of realizing universal healthcare in the country. Republic Act no. 11223 mandated that all Filipinos get the health care they need, when they need it, without getting impoverished - and enrolled all Filipino citizens in the National Health Insurance Program, as administered by PhilHealth. But opinion makers will say that due to the existing health system, universal healthcare is still many years away; and the World Health Organization estimated 2030 for when full implementation might be realized.
To date, up to 60 percent of hospital bills of PhilHealth members are out of pocket; and it’s still too often a case of wealth preceding health - with wealth the predeterming factor for access to advanced medical science and technology, to the latest and most effective drugs and medication, for organ transplants, and so on. Universal healthcare may have been enacted into law; but for now, it’s a law with no teeth, with no bearing to what’s happening on-ground.
A tour of the facilities, which included the room for the Varian linear accelerator.
In fact, even if you say that world-class equipment, machines, and doctors can be found at HCCH, the reality of staffing the hospital with nurses has been an issue. Early this year, I heard that Switzerland was offering a $25,000 signing bonus to the top nurses who had just passed their Board exams, exacerbating our present-day version of ‘brain drain’. This scenario was confirmed during the HCCH media event; and they assured us that they were opening with a full staff, but that admittedly, it had not been easy to achieve that. Plus they’re fully aware that some of the more qualified staff are waiting for their visas and documentation to come through.
But putting all that ‘reality bites’ facts aside, the HCCH is a testament to the commitment of Ayala Corporation to transition healthcare into one of it’s core businesses. The hospital secured an EDGE certification (a Green Building certification system); represents over ₱3 billion worth of investment, and aims to address heathcare gaps in the country. It’s a standing testimonial to AC Health enhancing and upgrading the healthcare infrastructure in the Philippines. The HCCH will form the center of a hub-and-spoke model for enhanced consultation access and cancer screening - a more affordable option for cancer treatment and care.
This is so important and crucial in a country where it’s estimated that up to 100,000 cases remain undiagnosed; and that when diagnosed, many are in their late stage. So many Filipinos live in denial, think of the financial burden, and only see the doctor when it’s too late.