Eighteen individuals needing orthopedic surgeries will benefit from the team of doctors from the state-owned Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center (MMMH&MC ) and the Singapore General Hospital (SGH).

The three-day operations started Thursday at the Batac hospital and joined in by at least eight visiting surgeons from Singapore’s largest acute care tertiary hospital, according to Dr. Maria Lourdes Otayza, MMMH&MC chief.

The patients, who were shortlisted from 22 applicants during the months-long screening, are in need of hip and knee replacement as well as foot and ankle operations. Their names were withheld in line with the Data Privacy Act.

This came in the heels of the initial joint surgical mission last year, which benefited six patients, four of whom were recipients of hip and knee replacement and two, of foot and ankle operations.

Otayza, in a press conference before the medical operations, said the surgical mission benefits not only the patients but the MMMH&MC doctors who can observe first hand the latest techniques from their Singaporean counterparts.

“There are certain refinements and techniques that other institutions may have developed and which we hope to observe,” she said.

During the same briefing, Dr. Jose Orosa III, chief of the medical professional staff of the Batac hospital, said rules and regulations set by the Department of Health (DOH) on the conduct of surgical mission such as scrutinizing the accreditation and credibility of the visiting surgeons were strictly followed.

“As part of the requirements of the DOH, every surgery must be manned by somebody responsible in the country so that in every patient being treated here, it’s now a collaboration. And when they go to their respective hospitals, our accredited orthopedic surgery department, with seven consultants and three residents, will be the one taking of the patients until they go home,” he said.

Aside from sharing their best practices in orthopedics, the foreign doctors have also brought with them implants amounting to PHP2 million, which will be given free to qualified beneficiaries.

Donations from private entities and the hospital’s trust fund from the different local government units of Ilocos Norte will also cover the patients’ expenses, even the post-surgery care.

With close ties to Ilocos Norte province, Dr. Darren Tay Keng Jin, one of the orthopedic surgeons from SGH, said they plan to have a regular exchange with Ilocos doctors.

“We hope to develop this relationship as we learn from them (local doctors) and they also learn from us,” he said, citing Ilocos doctors may also visit Singapore for the exchange program. (PNA)