For years, a child with a heart defect in Bohol meant one thing: pack a bag, borrow money, and make the long trip to Manila. That equation is chlanging.
Last week, a delegation from the Philippine Heart Center landed in Bohol not just to plan another medical mission, but to lay the groundwork for something permanent — a full cardiac center inside Gov. Celestino Gallares Multi Specialty Medical Center in Cortes .
FROM FLY-IN MISSIONS TO STAYING POWER
A breakfast courtesy visit was hosted by former Gov. and Congressman Atty. Edgar Chatto, who’s seen the old way firsthand. In past missions, getting surgical gear to Bohol meant scrambling for C130 planes. This time, he said, “No need to borrow C130 planes to transport surgical equipment.”
That line captures the shift. PHC officials weren’t just bringing a team for a week-long blitz. They were meeting with Gallares-Cortes hospital leaders to map out infrastructure, equipment procurement, and personnel training for a center that stays.
The PHC team included both strategy and surgical muscle:
- Operations & Strategy: Joseph Patrick Amores and Victor Quiñones Jr. from PHC’s Office of Strategy Management and Management Services
- Surgical & Clinical Leads: Dr. Michael Louis Burdador, thoracic and cardiovascular surgeon; Dr. Maria Bernadette Afliccion Azcueta, pediatric cardiologist; and Dr. Jose C. Jugo III, a Boholano first-year fellow in thoracic surgery training
- Partnership & Nursing: Dr. Mary Ann Ruiz from Philippine Gift of Life, Dr. Julie Maape, pediatric cardiologist, plus nurses Marienel Chris Alfeche and Christopher Ian Joseph De Guzman
They met with Dr. Eno Tirol and the Gallares-Cortes team to align on the upcoming heart mission and the longer play: making cardiac care local.
WHY IT MATTERS FOR BOHOLANO FAMILIES
Right now, specialty procedures for heart, kidney, lung, and cancer often mean heading to Manila’s national referral hospitals — the Philippine Heart Center, National Kidney Institute, Lung Center of the Philippines, Cancer Center and others. The hidden cost isn’t just the surgery. It’s the physical stress on travel of a seriously ill patient, staggering costs of food and accommodation, weeks away from work, school and families already under extreme pressure.
A fully operational heart center in Bohol flips that. Patients from the Visayas wouldn’t have to choose between going broke and going untreated.
Chatto pointed to the province’s long partnership with Gift of Life across multiple missions during his time as governor. The upcoming mission is positioned as the bridge to the bigger goal: a center that handles cases year-round, not just during scheduled visits.
BUILDING THE CENTER, NOT JUST THE EVENT
The work happening now is less about photo ops and more about plumbing and people. Personnel training is running alongside infrastructure upgrades and equipment procurement at Gallares-Cortes. The hospital has been the anchor of Bohol’s push to expand specialty services locally, reducing dependence on Manila for cases that could be managed in-province.
For the Philippine Heart Center, it’s also a return on investment in training. Dr. Burdador is a PHC graduate now practicing in Cebu, and Dr. Jugo III is a Boholano in PHC’s thoracic surgery fellowship. The model looks like: train people from the provinces, send them back with skills, and build the facilities to use them.
As a new medical facility, birthpains are still experienced now as ongoing training of personnel and developing expertise of a world class specialty health care center takes a lot of time and effort. We are optimistic though that with the country’s top referral specialty centers like PHC extending full assistance , guidance & support under DOH’s supervision & control, Bohol’s healthcare delivery system will soon lead the country’s move towards accelerating hospital modernization in every region.