Dr. Benjamin Souribio: Embracing innovation, technology in surgery

DOCTOR Benjamin S. Souribio, a Laparoscopic and amp and endoscopic surgeon in Bacolod City, embraces innovation and technology that certainly aid him when he performs surgery.

“My primary purpose for this is to embrace the innovation and technology in surgery providing wide benefits for the patients that I handled. I just wanted to provide better advantage to the patients so that they go can back or can return to work early. A patient will experience less pain and cosmetically, it will have a better outcome. This will ensure less morbidity because of the less tissue dissection and disruption,” he said.

The most basic lap procedure we do is the laparoscopic cholecystectomy. It is made available since the early 1990s in the Philippines but here in Bacolod it took off late 2000 already.

For now, the procedures became well known and accepted by all practitioners in different institutions in Bacolod.

“We were able to establish our chapter last 2013, the Pales-Western Visayas in order to standardize the practice of MIS (minimally invasive surgery). The society members were all trained in laparoscopic and endoscopic procedures. I served as charter secretary during the establishment of Pales and as president for the year 2017-18. As an advanced minimally invasive surgeon, I did several procedures that nobody performs here in Negros before. To name a few, I did laparoscopic Hernia repairs both in private and in public institutions. I did the first single port laparoscopic cholecystectomies and appendectomies or we call it SILS. For SILS the wound is only one at the navel approximately 2.5cm incision which is non-visible once healed. I had also an opportunity to performs the first 3-D lap cholecystectomy in South Bacolod General Hospital,” he shared.

He added, “We did some colon upper GI surgery as well. For now, I am in the process of completing the set up for the bariatric and metabolic surgery clinic here on the island. The indications for these are patients who are morbidly obese and for diabetics as well. For MIS, almost all procedures that can be done open will be performing in minimal incision depending on the experience of the surgeon as well as the availability of facilities and equipment and I am very fortunate that here in Bacolod we have all that amenities needed.”

His dream for MIS is that it will be made available to all Negrenses and this will be affordable to all.

Dr. Souribio is a fellow of Philippine College of Surgeons, Fellow of Philippine Society of General Surgeons, Fellow of Philippine Association of Laparoscopic & amp; Endoscopic Surgeons and a Fellow of American College of Surgeons.

He was born in Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat in the Island of Mindanao but considered himself as an adopted son of Bacolod.

He graduated his medical degree at West Visayas State University, Iloilo City, finished his Masters in Business administration major in Hospital Administration at the University of Negros Occidental Recoletos last 2013 and currently serves as vice president for Medical Affairs at South Bacolod General Hospital & Medical Center when it started to operate last 2015.

He is married to Jennifer Delumpa, an obstetrician and gynecologist with sub-specialty in reproductive endocrinology, infertility & menopause who hails from Silay City.

They were blessed with two sons John Bryan, 21 and John Byron, 10 wherein the former served as an exchange student of Rotary Club of Bacolod- East outbound to Belgium last 2015, presently studying at the Ateneo de Manila, taking up Life Science and on his 4th-year level now. His little brother John Byron is studying at St. John’s Institute, Ayala campus on his 4th grade.

“As for my personal being, I am a medical practitioner, a rotarian and a simple person who just wanted to serve the Filipino community. Being a physician and a surgeon as my specialty, I further went to Minimally Invasive Surgery training here in the Philippines and abroad. And as Rotarian for almost nine years, I served my club as the President for the year 2015-2016 and I’m so proud that I made my club as the most outstanding club during my term and I am truly honored to bag the most outstanding president as well,” he said.