Residents of Makati City may now avail specialized diagnostic and medical services at the Makati Medical Center (MMC).
This was after MMC officials signed an agreement with Ospital of Makati (OsMak) and city government officials led by Mayor Abigail Binay to allow OsMak patients to be referred to MMC for specialized diagnostic exams, treatment, and even surgery.
Binay said the program will give beneficiaries of Makati Health Plus (MHP) Program or “Yellow Card,” full access to the best treatment and health care services in the city at no cost to them.
“By allowing OsMak doctors to refer cases to MMC, we are tapping their equipment, technology, and expertise. We are making the latest and most advanced diagnostic tools available to our Yellow Card holders. More importantly, they can avail of life-saving surgical procedures and treatments which have yet to be made available at OsMak,” she said.
MMC president and chief executive officer Dr. Maria Corazon Consunji signed the MOA in behalf of MMC. The accord was witnessed by OsMak officer-in-charge and Hospital director Dr. Vergel Binay, Makati City administrator Claro Certeza, and MMC Medical director Dr. Johnny Sison.
Mayor Binay said that while the city continues to improve and modernize OsMak’s facilities, it is inevitable that some equipment like CT Scan or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines may need repair or replacement.
During this time, doctors from OsMak can send patients to MMC for the procedure. Once they have received the results, the patient will come back to OsMak for diagnosis and treatment.
“We don’t want our constituents to look for hospitals where they can have their tests done. This is an inconvenience and additional expense for them. That is our responsibility. If, for any reason, the tests or treatment are not available at OsMak, they will be referred to MMC so there will be no delay in the delivery of health care services,” the chief executive said.
The agreement stated that a patient from OsMak will be accommodated by MMC only if he has a referral or endorsement letter from the city-run hospital. This means that patients must still go to OsMak for initial assessment before they avail of the procedures from MMC.
Besides diagnostic tests, OsMak can also refer specialized cases to MMC for in-patient treatment and surgical procedures. These include neurosurgery cases and other innovative treatments which are being performed at MMC.
The agreement also includes emergency procedures, but must still be properly endorsed by the city-run hospital. The Osmak to MMC referral program will be implemented initially for a year, subject to extension or renewal.
MMC is one of the top medical research and training facilities in Asia. Makati City’s OsMak is an ISO-certified tertiary hospital and serves as one of the pillars of the Makati Health Program. It is the first locally-run hospital in the country to be accredited as a Center of Excellence by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, or PhilHealth.
OsMak mainly services over 230,000 Yellow Card holders made up of residents, senior citizens, persons with disability, city government workers, and employees of selected Makati-based national government agencies.
They enjoy free out-patient consultations and subsidized emergency care and in-patient care.
Additionally, Yellow Card holders and their dependents also have access to free consultations at the city’s 26 barangay health centers that deliver primary health services.
Six of these host satellite laboratories, three in each district, which augment the services being provided by the main laboratories at OsMak and the Makati Health Department at City Hall.
Makati City also provides free medicine to Yellow Card holders under its “Libreng Gamot Para sa Mamamayan” program. They give out medicine for hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardio-vascular diseases, dyslipidemia, enlarged prostate, gout, cough and colds, sexually transmitted infections, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, seizure disorder, allergy, ulcer, vertigo, and gastro-intestinal problems, and more.
It also provides free multivitamins for children, adults and pregnant patients, as well as oral and injectable contraceptives.