Taking away their pain

Contributed photo
Contributed photo

SEEING others in much pain actually pains him as well.

This was the reason why Dr. Jose G. Beltran, Jr. pursued his medical career in the field of anesthesiology with specialization in pain management.

Being an interventional pain management specialist for 21 years has a story behind it, he said.

Beltran shared that his relatives had battled cancer.

His uncle and aunt on his mother’s side had been diagnosed with cancer. Only two of his mother's siblings had survived cancer. His mom had also battled with cervical cancer.

While some of his relatives on the father's side also were stricken with cancer.

“What made me decide to go into pain medicine as a sub-specialty is that I had an experience with my relatives, uncles, and aunts who suffered cancer, and they died in severe pain because there were no specialist in Negros Occidnetal, and no medicine and morphine,” he said.

It was a painful experience, he said, to see his relatives suffer as they had to travel to Iloilo just to buy morphine.

“I made it an advocacy that as much as possible, those who have cancer should not suffer or should not die in pain,” Beltran shared. “That's my goal. It's my passion to relieve pain, especially cancer pain.”

In his practice, almost all of his patients are those fighting with cancer.

This made him strive harder to improve, not only his profession and specialization but also in contributing for the improvement of the healthcare system in the city.

Beltran is an alumnus of the Cebu Institute of Medicine and a pioneer graduate of Davao Doctors Hospital’s Residency training program in Anesthesiology. His passion placed him third in the Diplomate Board examinations. He pursued his fellowship training in Pain Medicine at the St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City.

In his practice, he has a soft spot for his patients who are financially challenged or marginalized.

His commitment to serve went beyond his primary specialty as he currently holds positions as member of the board of directors and trustees of the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia of the Philippines (Soap) and Pain Society of the Philippines (PSP), respectively. He is also the president of the Davao Cancer Society, Inc.

He holds the record as the first and the last anesthesiologist-president of the defunct Davao Medical Society and the founding president of the newly organized Metropolitan Davao Medical Society, Inc. in 2021. This had fuelled him to continue his advocacies and aspirations.

Beltran admitted that he personally saw how low morale the medical practitioners in the city when the Covid-19 pandemic struck. With this, he revitalized the chapter through resumption of the dormant monthly case conferences, lectures, and annual anesthesia week celebration (every second week of October) via virtual platform.

His dedication in the local medical field bestowed him the prestigious Dr. Manuel V. Silao Leadership Award during the Opening Ceremonies of the 53rd Annual Virtual Convention of the Philippine Society of Anesthesiologists, Inc. (PSA) held from December 3 to 5, 2021.

Out of the 4,908 members, Beltran bested his fellow contenders, making him the seventh recipient and the youngest conferee in history of the 70-year-old organization.

The late Silao, whom the award was named after, was an educator and was one of the pillars of Anesthesiology. He was the department chair at the Philippine General Hospital and a member of the Board of Examiners. In 1996, he served as a liason of the WFSA to the World Health Organization and was instrumental in training anesthesiologists in some penurious areas of the IndoChina Region.

Meanwhile, in his long span career as a doctor, Beltran said it is a profession for those who have the desire to serve and help their patients, not for those seeking greener pasture.

“The medical profession is service oriented. We have the hippocratic oath to serve, not to get rich,” he said.

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