Medicard gives back to unsung heroes of medical industry

Some sacrifices are more pronounced than others.

While a select few make the headlines that would be immortalized in history, most other sacrifices remain unnoticed, away from the spotlight and eventually forgotten amid the daily humdrum of activities of ordinary Filipinos. You have the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) enduring the hardships of working abroad to earn decent living while sending home billions of dollars that boost the local economy; teachers, who go out of their way to visit far-flung areas to educate the youth; as well as the doctors and nurses, who are quick on their feet, surviving the fatigue of sleepless nights and harried pace in emergency and operating rooms. And there are countless others whose names will perhaps never be publicized.

These are the “unsung heroes” of our time—modern day heroes whose significant contributions cannot be undermined nor can they be quantified. Every hardworking Filipino—who has done service to the community sans the public adoration and glamour of accolades—deserves to be called a “hero” in his or her own right.

Happy surprise

To pay homage to some of these unsung heroes, Medicard Philippines Inc., in partnership with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, hosted a simple but fun and memorable night for the doctors, nurses and other hospital personnel at the VRP Medical Center (VRPMC).

Teams from Medicard and Inquirer sprang the surprise Wednesday night at the sixth floor of the VRP Medical Center, where games, prizes, dinner, coffee, donuts and ice cream await those about to start the night shift. Of course, Guyito dolls, Medicard string bags and snack packs (comprised of an apple, banana, orange and oatmeal) completed the ensemble of giveaways for the night. Inquirer’s loveable Guyito mascot, donning a barong for this special occasion, endeared the crowd with his signature dance moves, eliciting infectious smiles and laughter among guests.

“Thank you for opening your doors to us. I’m happy to say that you were chosen to be our partner for tonight,” said MediCard marketing services manager Kate Cruz-Joaquin. “Since we celebrated National Heroes Day last Monday, we thought it was best to give a tribute, to pay homage to our unsung heroes—the nurses, doctors, and everyone here at the hospital working tirelessly to provide quality service to the patients.”

VRPMC president Ma. Victoria P. Vergel de Dios meanwhile expressed gratitude to Medicard, their long-time partner, and Inquirer for this pleasant surprise.

“Thank you so much for this honor—this is the first time that we experienced this at the hospital. It’s a good gesture really. What you have done was something different,” Vergel de Dios added.

Those working in the medical industry are indeed heroes in their own right as Vergel de Dios pointed out: “We’re the only industry that operates 24/7—we don’t have holidays and even if there are typhoons, we are still on duty. We cannot close down—this is our calling.”

Quality healthcare

Medicard and Inquirer’s “surprise” was indeed a fitting tribute to the doctors, nurses and hospital personal at VRPMC, whose thrust has always been to provide quality healthcare since its inception five decades ago.

“Every single day, we think about how we can improve our service to our patients and of course, Medicard has been a long time partner in providing healthcare to our own customers… I’ve always believed in HMOs (health maintenance organizations). As partners, we of course try to give our best to our patients and to further improve the quality of our customer service,” she said.

Hospital administrator Veronica Regina V. Garcia added that VRPMC dedicates itself to provide the highest quality of healthcare services that are appropriate, accurate, affordable and humane through continual study and learning, training and development as well as research.

“Hospitals like VRP Medical Center play a very vital role in providing medical care to patients who need it. We are here not only for our patients, but also our hospital staff to provide them with employment, our doctors to provide them a venue for their practice, our community to provide them with charitable services, and all our partners and other stakeholders for their interests. We value our partners in health like Medicard who allow us to provide care and treatment to our patients through guaranteed financial coverage. Organizations like Medicard help us fulfill our mission of providing appropriate, accurate, affordable and humane healthcare services of the highest quality,” Garcia explained.

And she, too, found this “surprise” a welcome treat to our unsung heroes.

“At the end of the day, a hospital’s human resource is the best resource it can have. At a time like this when our staff are tired and exhausted from extended hours of duty due to lack of manpower and high patient census, recognition of and honoring their efforts and their role in our lives will surely make them feel great and fulfilled. Their sacrifices are immeasurable. Thank you Medicard and PDI for choosing to honor VRP employees,” Garcia further said.

Fulfilling profession

Among the attendees were Dra. Theresa Joy Sto. Domingo who candidly expressed her delight over the surprise prepared by Medicard and Inquirer.

“I love this event. I love that you guys are giving recognition to people who work so hard, because in this day and age, a lot of people don’t recognize what doctors and nurses give up and sacrifice to help other people. So I’m very grateful to you guys for giving us some recognition,” Sto. Domingo said.

Sto. Domingo admitted that the medical profession can be exacting and demanding of one’s time—such that you have to work on holidays, you don’t have much time off, and you miss important family occasions and celebrations such as birthdays. But this profession, she added, can be fulfilling as in her case, being an emergency medicine resident.

“Emergency medicine is the kind of practice wherein you are ready for anything at any moment, so if something happens to one of your family members or one of your friends, or even someone along the street, you are able to help them with just a snap of a finger. That’s what’s fulfilling with my specialty being an emergency medicine resident, physician, consultant here in VRP,” she added.

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