COVID-19: fighting with innovation

The Philippines has been hard hit by COVID-19. A stringent community quarantine from mid-March to May was followed by a gradual opening-up of the economy. July brought an alarming spike in cases, prompting the medical experts to call for restrictive measures. Another partial lockdown was ordered in August and the country is still fighting to flatten the curve.

The healthcare sector is facing enormous challenges during the ongoing pandemic. Metro Pacific Hospital Holdings Inc. (“MPHHI”) has been at the forefront of the government’s efforts. Three of MPHHI’s 17 hospitals are designated for COVID-19 patients and are adding more beds. Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, one of MPHHI’s designated COVID-19 referral facilities, is a prime example. To accommodate the increasing number of COVID patients in the 230-bed hospital, it has opened multiple wards to separate patients of different symptom profiles, and to accommodate more patients. In addition to wards for COVID-confirmed, probable and suspect cases, there are separate wards for healthcare professionals and healthcare workers.

Under the new normal, MPHHI member hospitals are strictly implementing and continuously improving patient care processes. They have put in place infrastructure improvements for zoning, and enhanced infection prevention controls. They conduct periodic testing of frontliners and contact tracing and quarantine procedures when health workers develop symptoms.

In July 2020, the Metro Pacific Hospitals COVID Crisis Management Team initiated free webinars for the medical profession. These share knowledge about hospital safety in the new normal. Presidents of facilities and Head Doctors shared best practices in infection control, protocols and engineering interventions. Another topic was Transforming Healthcare Service Delivery Platforms and Business Processes to Create a Safer Hospital Environment.

METRO PACIFIC HOSPITALS EXPLORE TELEMEDICINE SOLUTIONS

The group is fighting COVID-19 with innovation. It has introduced virtual consultation, as well as other services like e-pharmacy, mobile laboratories, remote patient monitoring and continuity of care beyond the hospital room.

Telemedicine was previously viewed as a means to provide health care for remote locations. Now, it takes center stage as a solution for an overwhelmed healthcare system.

“MPHHI believes that using telemedicine and remote patient monitoring for management of chronic diseases can minimize, though not totally prevent, physical visits of patients to healthcare facilities,” said Chief Information Officer of MPHHI, Eriene C Lao.

As a group initiative, she said, MPHHI is in the process of selecting the most feasible solution that will serve as a common platform for the MPHHI hospitals.

“We feel there are also operational benefits here,” she said. “Hospitals can optimize the utilization of their bed capacity, improve the efficiency of healthcare workers, allow collaboration of medical teams from across different hospitals, and give remote hospitals access to more experienced medical practitioners in the bigger hospitals.”

MPIF President Melody del Rosario (L), turns over 100 Bayan Tanim! planting crates for Brgy. 128 Smokey Mountain in Manila.

MPIF Launches Bayan Tanim!

Advocates food sustainability among underprivileged communities

Metro Pacific Investments Foundation (“MPIF”) strives to assist the vulnerable communities who are suffering most throughout the pandemic. Its latest initiative promotes food sustainability by helping communities to grow household crops from their backyard.

Bayan Tanim! - launched on 8 September 2020 - supports the “Plant, Plant, Plant” campaign of the Department of Agriculture which supplied the seeds, and the “Move Food Initiative” of Agrea Agriculture System International Inc.

In partnership with First Pacific, MPIF turned over the first 100 Bayan Tanim! plant crates to the local government of Brgy. 128 Smokey Mountain in Tondo, Manila. The planting crates will expand the range of crops grown in their local community garden, to build a sustainable source of food. Other communities are scheduled for support.

Reliable supply

MPIF President Melody del Rosario said, “Growing your own produce is a simple solution to numerous health, environmental and economic problems. There is an untapped potential for small scale home vegetable growing that leads to self-sufficiency, sustainability, including physical and mental well-being. During these uncertain and challenging times, Bayan Tanim can transform us into a plant nation for a sustainable means of living that communities can rely on long after this pandemic is over.”

Bayan Tanim! is the third phase of MPIF’s COVID-19 efforts, following substantial personal protective equipment (“PPE”) distributions to medical frontliners in over a dozen hospitals and a relief pack distribution to over 3,700 families in underserved and marginalized communities.

Group companies extend aid to Pampanga

Tulong Kapatid, the CSR alliance of the First Pacific Group in the Philippines, provided relief assistance to areas in Pampanga as part of their nationwide campaign against the COVID-19 pandemic.

MPIF distributed 200 full PPE kits to the Task Force Safe Haven Quarantine Facility in Tarlac and 300 grocery packs for the municipality in Apalit.

“We realize that helping provide aid distribution will help the province stretch its help for all its 505 barangays,” says MPIF President Melody del Rosario. “It is a daunting task for all provinces and we in the private sector are always ready to extend our support.”

PLDT-Smart Foundation (“PSF’) donated over 1,000 grocery packs, 250 PPE sets and 10 checkpoint tents to Angeles City and City of San Fernando, Pampanga. These donations have been distributed to indigenous communities and poverty-stricken villages in the region.

PSF’s multi-sector aid outreach

PSF and its partners have prioritized Cebu as one of the COVID-19 hot spots in the Philippines. The foundation has distributed boxes of face masks, PPEs, disinfecting kits and carboys of ethyl alcohol to local hospitals, medical centers, local government offices, media offices and schools in Cebu.

The group also identified hot spot areas of Manila, where most of the families were rendered homeless and some minimum wage earners are in danger of becoming jobless. With funds raised from PSF’s fundraising campaign #ProjectProtect: Protect Yourself, Help Others, it responded to the call of Barangay 473 in Sampaloc by providing over 500 families with food packs.

Turnover of donations to Pampanga. Front (L-R): Michelle Gumabao, PSF President Esther Santos, PNP Regional Head PBGen Rhodel O Serminia, MPIF President Melody M Del Rosario, NLEX Sr. CSR Manager Cherry Dela Rea and AKFI Executive Director Menchie Silvestre.

“Our bayanihan spirit remains resilient, especially during this tough time. By partnering with various organizations, we hope to reach out to more Filipinos who are severely impacted by the pandemic,” said PSF President Esther Santos.

Supporting education, the army

PLDT Chairman and CEO Manuel V Pangilinan, marked his birthday on 14 July with various activities together with PSF to help schools facing the difficult task of preparing to reopen classes.

He led the turnover of the School-in-a-bag donation to North Bay Boulevard North Elementary School in one of the poorest informal settler communities in Metro Manila. The provision forms part of the $50K grant from Huawei Technologies Philippines, Inc. to PSF. The donation included 20 tablets, a laptop, and a Smart Pocket Wifi, with Pangilinan providing an additional 66 tablets for Grade 6 students in Navotas Market Three.

He noted, “Education has long been one of main pillars of the corporate social responsibility programs of PLDT and Smart. As we navigate through the new normal, we continue to support the country’s educational system by empowering students and teachers nationwide through flexible learning modalities.”

He also donated, through PSF, 1,000 packs of rice and vegetables to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (“AFP”) for its soldiers and their families.

AFP has been an invaluable partner in PSF’s relief efforts. To support over 4,000 families in communities under lockdown in Metro Manila, the PSF provided over 1,250 kgs of rice and 500 kgs of vegetables to the AFP mobile kitchen. The foundation also served 150 lunch meals to National Task Force officers and staff in Camp Aguinaldo. <<