AN OFFICIAL from the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC)-Mindanao Heart Institute said there is a need to expand the institute's buildings to cater to all patients from all over Mindanao.
Dr. Elfred M. Batalla, Adult Cardiology Head, said during the Healthy Davao Media Forum on Monday, February 27, 2024, at SM Ecoland that the institute only has 42 beds and there is a need to add more so they could deliver cardio-related care to a higher number of patients.
He said the majority of the heart-related procedures are already available in the institute, except for heart transplants, that patients no longer have to go to Manila to avail of the procedures they need.
“For non-invasive tests and the invasive tests and also the open heart and annuplasty all services, except for heart transplant [which] we still don’t have here because it’s hard and you have to wait for somebody to die in order to get another heart,” he said.
Lorna M. Pabaonan, RN Clinical Coordinator, echoed Dr. Batalla's sentiments stressing the need for a holistic approach to patient care. With a dedicated team managing both in-patient and out-patient services, the institute strives to provide quality care to every individual.
She said that in the adult clinic which operates from Monday to Friday, the institute sees around 70 to 80 patients per day, with appointments carefully scheduled to manage the number of patients. However, she revealed that the hospital oftentimes exceeds this number as numerous patients from far-flung areas such as Cagayan and General Santos City also come to the institute to seek medical attention.
“The hospital also deals with a lot of children who have heart problems. They see about 30 to 40 kids each day on Tuesdays and Thursdays. These children often have complicated heart conditions like rheumatic heart disease and congenital heart disease, which make things even more challenging for the hospital,” she said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Batalla expressed optimism about future advancements, including the introduction of electrophysiological studies in the coming years. Ian Jay Cachero, UIC Intern
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