Keeping hope alive amid the pandemic

The Medical City South Luzon Complex of Hope marks its first anniversary.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges and has caused a lot of confusion and disruption in people’s lives all over the world. Leaders have stepped up, rolling out various initiatives with the goal of keeping people safe and halting further transmission of the virus.

At The Medical City (TMC) South Luzon, leaders across all organizational levels rose to the challenge and faced it head-on. With patients afraid to go to the hospital for treatment, TMC South Luzon responded and encouraged patients to continue seeking care for their other health problems by assuring them that they were safe and protected while within the hospital premises.

An essential component to this is the Complex of Hope (COH), a detached facility where all the COVID-19 cases are admitted and managed. A brainchild of Dr. Cesar Ramon G. Espiritu, TMC South Luzon President, and CEO, the complex opened its doors to patients in May last year.

The campaign “A Safe Zone for All Patients” was also launched at the time last year aimed at reminding patients that the hospital is and would always be still a safe place for all and that they should come back to have their non-COVID health issues managed.

The year in numbers

5.11.2020, or May 20, 2020, when TMC South Luzon was inaugurated the COH.

Eleven (11) – TMC South Luzon began operating the COH with 11 patient beds, including a four-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with complete provision for infection control and air management.

Twelve Million (P12.0 Mil), was the estimated budget to construct COH. The entire amount was donated by construction companies, EEI, DATEM Inc., Unity In Isolation, Orion Group International Inc., and other donors who gave in cash and in kind.

Twenty-seven (27) days, a record time when the COH was built to accommodate patients in different levels of COVID-19 disease severity.

Four hundred sixty eight (468) COVID-19 patients have been served by TMC SL Complex of hope as of April 30, 2021, most of them from the towns and cities of Laguna and from other Southern Tagalog provinces including Cavite, Batangas, Quezon and Rizal as well as patients from as far as Metro Manila and Bulacan.

Our Partners and TMC SL as Patient Partners

What started with eight smart houses donated by EEI Corporation to accommodate eleven (11) beds is now composed of thirty-six (36) beds, with living quarters for healthcare workers and a quarantine facility.

TMC SL Complex of Hope has become a large contributor and an effective facility in the management and treatment of COVID-19 patients not just for Santa Rosa City but also for the entire Southern Luzon and North Luzon Provinces and selected cities in Metro-Manila.

With the sudden surge of COVID-19 cases this year, TMC South Luzon COH will continue to serve patients hoping that the number of cases will drop until the whole disease is eradicated one day.

Looking back at the struggles and triumphs of the facility and the entire team that operates it, the message remains the same, as The Medical City South Luzon Complex of Hope marks its first anniversary will continue to serve its patient partners of all their health conditions, both COVID and non-COVID.

“The TMC South Luzon COVID Complex of Hope is a testament to the agility, innovativeness, and most importantly, to the kindheartedness and community spirit of the Filipino people,” said Dr. Espiritu.