Atty.Pilar Nenuca Almira, President & CEO, Makati Medical Center
Makati Medical Center’s over 50 years of experience in providing premium and personalized healthcare services in the Philippines has made it the preferred partner of generations of families and corporate accounts. Headquartered at the heart of the country’s primary central business district, MakatiMed with its 600-bed capacity delivers quality and compassionate service through its highly skilled and board-certified physicians, compassionate nurses, competent allied healthcare professionals, and management staff, modern facilities, and state-of-the-science medical equipment and technology.
The Inception and First to Market Innovations
Makati Medical Center was founded by a group of renowned Filipino doctors and businessmen in 1969. The story began in the early 1960s when Obstetrician-Gynaecologist Constantino P. Manahan, MD, together with surgeon Jose Y. Fores, MD, and Cardiologist Mariano M. Alimurung, MD, decided to set up a world-class medical facility in Makati– which was just beginning to rise as a bustling residential and commercial center; a Filipino-owned conglomerate was still implementing the initial phases of its plan to transform this Manila suburb into the country’s premier business district and the plan required a modern hospital to serve the community.
These three health experts sought other doctors and professionals, who shared their dream and sent a lawyer emissary to the United States to scout for more investors and raise funds for the hospital’s construction. Makati Medical Center formally opened its doors to the public on May 31, 1969, and it marked the fulfilment of a dream and the culmination of years of hard work and dedication to provide world-class healthcare for Filipinos.
When MakatiMed opened its Department of Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat; its Cardiovascular Diagnostic Center, also known as the Heart Station; and the NeuroSciences Department as pioneering sections. Over 50 years, the organization also pioneered medical and technological advancements and milestones in the country and the region. The hospital has performed the first kidney transplant and the first laparoscopic cholecystectomy operation in the Philippines, introduced the first diabetes education clinic in Southeast Asia, and the first hospital-based 24/7 contact center in the country’s hospital industry, among many others. Since then, the hospital continued to grow its reputation by marking more milestones, including the successful operation of conjoined twins and the first laparoscopic colon surgery.
The hospital opened the Urogynecology and Incontinence Center – the first specialty clinic of its kind– and implemented the first hybrid wind-solar system to power its telecommunications facility. In addition, the hospital installed a solar photovoltaic (PV) generator system that can knock off an estimated 30,000 kilograms of annual carbon monoxide emission, the equivalent of 217 smoke-belching vehicles removed from the streets.
MakatiMed is the first private hospital recognized by the Philippine Department of Health (DOH) as a Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) treatment hub. The hospital is also the only institution in the country to receive a grant from the Philippine Department of Science and Technology (DOST) for research on umbilical cord-driven stem cells.
Inspiring Vision and Mission of the Company
Atty. Pilar Nenuca Almira, President & CEO of the company says, “Makati Medical Center’s mission is to provide the highest quality healthcare experience for all stakeholders.” This is primarily through its most competent, compassionate, collegial, and ethical medical professionals and allied hospital personnel. The men and women of Makati Medical Center put their heart in everything that they do – live with their values by doing what is right for the health and safety of the patients, the well-being of their colleagues, and the greater good of the community. The hospital aims to provide superior service delivery through enhanced technological and digital innovations, established and ever-evolving training programs, and socially empowering healthcare programs that revolve around the core values of service excellence, integrity, professionalism, compassion, and teamwork.
Competent, positive patient outcomes and the high level of patient satisfaction ratings go together with the genuine show of concern and empathy – proudly embodying the adage ‘The Hospital with a Heart’. This value of compassion or ‘malasakit’ in the local language is truly innate among Filipinos.
MakatiMed is committed to providing world-class healthcare services to Filipinos and foreign residents in the country. The hospital has forged international collaborations, including those with the Washington Hospital Center, Baylor Medical Center in Texas, and Stanford University Hospital in California. To seal this ever-consistent commitment to improving patient relationships, MakatiMed established a patient experience program to ensure that the hospital delivers quality service to all patients in every encounter, from admission to discharge.
The hospital’s training programs are highly regarded in all the clinical fields, including Nursing, Pharmacy, Radiology, and Medical Technology, among others. We produce the future generations of eminent, compassionate, and globally sought-after healthcare workers.
The Future Goals
The leaders of MakatiMed aspire to continue and pursue its over-half-a-century commitment of being the leading healthcare institution, not only in the Philippines but even in Asia. MakatiMed will strive to compete with and be a better version of itself in terms of service, expertise, and technology. MakatiMed intends to use both traditional tools and advanced technology to automate existing manual operations which helps the organization in reducing costs while enhancing efficiency. The hospital’s upgrades include automation of data collection processes, technology for incident and complaints management, surveys, and risk management.
“Another goal has always been on the focus in the overall experience of MakatiMed patients. For the units within the hospital, a dedicated team aims to enhance the patient experience through employee engagement, while another similarly competent unit intends to timely address all patient concerns,” concludes Almira.