Close to a million children and adults
afflicted with heart disease and related ailments have been treated at
the Philippine Heart Center since it opened its doors
in 1975. Of these, more than 700,000 had limited financial capabilities.
These underprivileged patients availed themselves of surgical or medical
treatment through the Center's Social Service Program.
This Program is funded by income-generating activities
like private patient care and rental of office and store spaces. This is
supplemented by a government subsidy which averages only 30% of the cost
of charity services.
Financially-handicapped patients, however, are imbued
with a sense of self-respect while at the care of the Center. This is done
on the premise that a person must share the burden for his own health and
life despite his poverty. Thus, all indigent patients asked to make a contribution
to their well-being within the limits of their resources. However nominal,
these shared responsibilities create a sense of dignity among these patients
who would otherwise be unable to afford the services similar, highly-specialized
medical facilities.
The Center is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities
for the diagnosis and treatment of the most challenging cardiovascular
diseases.
The latest in monitoring and life support equipment
are in integral part of patient care at the medical, surgical and pediatric
instensive care units. Known for its highly-successful heart surgeries,
the Center is also equipped with imaging systems, catheterization laboratories,
anesthesia and related machines designed to assist the Center's highly-skilled
surgical teams in achieving their life-sustaining work.
|