Mayor Vico Sotto, together with the The Medical City (TMC) and Rizal Medical Center, sealed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on Thursday, April 16, to launch the Pasig Alliance for Organ Donation and Sharing (PAODS), boosting life-saving transplants and organ donation efforts in the city.

TMC said PAODS is a citywide collaborative program aimed at improving access to life-saving transplants.  It establishes a coordinated framework to enhance the identification, management, and utilization of deceased organ donors in Pasig City.

It brings together public and private healthcare institutions to address the growing need for organ donation and reduce transplant waitlist mortality.

All activities under the program will follow national laws, including the Organ Donation Act of 1991, and adhere to international ethical standards for transplantation. Patient dignity, informed consent, and data privacy will remain central to all processes.

Sotto emphasized the urgency of the initiative, noting the heartbreak of families who have had to travel as far as India to access transplant care.

“Through the years, I've seen so many families, especially those with small children, struggle to raise funds and even lose their jobs because they have to bring them abroad for a life-saving transplant,” he said.

“Through the new Pasig Alliance for Organ Donation and Sharing with The Medical City, Rizal Medical Center, and the Pasig City LGU, we will save lives through organ transplants. Ang pinakamaganda pa rito, imbes na mag-abroad pa, dito lang sa Pasig gagawin ang transplant (The best part is that instead of going abroad, the transplant can now be done right here in Pasig),” the mayor continued.

Sotto said they still have much to do, but look forward to saving lives, especially children. He also described the partnership as meaningful.

Under the agreement, the three institutions will work together across key areas, including public awareness, clinical coordination, and capacity building.

The program promotes organ donation awareness among communities and healthcare professionals, establishes coordinated referral pathways for potential multi-organ donors, and strengthens training for medical teams involved in donor identification and management.

To support implementation, each institution will maintain its in-hospital organ donation program while coordinating through designated focal persons and shared systems.

A Pasig City Organ Donation Coordination Committee will be established to oversee operations, address coordination concerns, and develop training and monitoring mechanisms.

The program also aims to make a difference as the country remains among those with low organ donation rates globally.

“This is the opportunity for us to effect change and to make a difference. It’s time to do something different,” said Dr. Vanessa H. De Villa, head of the Center for Liver Health and Transplant at TMC.

Rizal Medical Center chief II Dr. Maria Rica Lumague also said the partnership serves as a promise that no opportunity to save a life in Pasig City will be lost.

“Organ donation is not the work of a single department. It is a shared responsibility that calls for unity, precision, and compassion,” she said.

Dr. Lumague noted that the TMC-RizalMed collaboration has already delivered results, saying since the two institutions began working together, they have completed three successful liver transplant operations with zero percent mortality. “That deserves recognition,” she said.

Health Secretary Ted Herbosa also underscored the need for nationwide collaboration and called on the private sector to help lead the way.

“Dr. Bennett is really directing The Medical City to a different trajectory, beyond for-profit medicine, really giving back through public-private partnerships. I think it’s the right way, and I hope the other CEOs of private hospitals copy his lead,” he said.

“This will not work if there are only two institutions working together. It has to be on a national level. Tulong-tulong tayo, bayanihan (Let us help one another),” he added.

Dr. Stuart Bennett, President and Group CEO of TMC, said that what they are doing at the city level is very important, saying, “I’m sure, as with everything, it will be an example for other cities that will also take up that mantle. It’s not about competition, it’s about collaboration.”

TMC said PAODS builds on the existing collaboration between TMC and RizalMed through their joint liver transplant program.

“Which has already enabled life-saving procedures for pediatric patients. With the alliance now formalized, the program is set to scale that impact, extending coordinated, quality transplant care to more patients across Pasig City and beyond,” it emphasized.