After an exhaustive re-accreditation process in November 2022 which looked into the hospital’s systems and its commitment to quality, safety and people-centered care, CSMC has been recently honored by Accreditation Canada with two awards: the Platinum seal of accreditation, which is an upgrade from the Gold accreditation level achieved by the organization in 2019, and People-Centered Care Commitment Award, being the first organization in Asia to receive the award.
Among the awardees was Mr. Raul C. Pagdanganan, President and CEO of Cardinal Santos Medical Center (CSMC) - a hospital. “A medical institution is certainly not the first place you would expect a certified public accountant to be leading,” Pagdanganan said. “But I firmly believe it was my calling.”
Pagdanganan had wanted to be a doctor, which was why he enrolled in the Bachelor of Zoology program at the University of the Philippines (UP). He ended up shifting to the College of Business Administration instead, and finished his Business Administration and Accountancy degree in 1981, passing the board exam as part of the top 20 successful takers.
“One common misconception is that frequent headaches must mean a brain tumor; that’s often not the case,” said Dr. Michael Louis Gimenez, resident neurosurgeon and Chairman of the Brain and Spine Institute at Cardinal Santos Medical Center (CSMC). “It’s possible, but there are a combination of symptoms that more accurately distinguish a possible brain tumor.”
“Women deserve access to all the information and resources they need to ensure that their feminine wellness is taken care of,” said Dr. Catherine Howard, head of Cardinal Santos Medical Center’s (CSMC) Reproductive and Sexual Health committee and the CSMC Laser Gynecologic Group. “Feminine health is nothing to be ashamed about.”
According to the Philippine Cancer Society, lung cancer does not stay contained to the lungs. “Lung cancer could also spread through the bloodstream and affect other parts of the body, such as the lymph nodes, and can metastasize in vital organs,” said Cardinal Santos Medical Center’s (CSMC) Section Head of Pulmonary Medicine and Lung Cancer expert, Dr. Percival P. Pangilinan.
Unfortunately, some signs and symptoms of lung cancer do not show at an early stage, making it hard to detect until the cancer is advanced. The main symptoms of lung cancer can include a long-term cough that worsens over time, persistent breathlessness, tiredness or fatigue, and coughing up blood.
While Christmas is indeed the season to be jolly, it is important to keep oneself in check, especially when it comes to what we eat and how much. Delicious and savory meals might also be high in sodium or sugar content, which may actually increase the risk of developing kidney stones.
“Sometimes, even our favorite food can cause harm to our bodily functions if we eat too much of it,” said Cardinal Santos Medical Center’s (CSMC) Chief of the Section of Urology, Dr. Jason L. Letran. “An uptick in dietary sodium content increases the amount of calcium excretion in the urine, while an excess of sugar can cause increased urine calcium and decreased urine volume, a perfect scenario for urinary stone formation.”
Cardinal Santos Medical Center (CSMC) was awarded for its platinum accreditation by Investors in People (IiP) at the recently concluded concourse and awarding ceremony “The Keys to Culture-building: More than Just a Nice Place to Work!”. The event was held via Zoom on Oct. 28, Friday.
CSMC’s very own VP and Head of Human Resources, Ms. Maria Louzel “Lucky” Diaz-Tiozon, was a keynote speaker for the concourse, where she discussed the various implementations done by the hospital in order to enhance and maintain the well-being, morale and performance of its employees, medical staff and patient community. This included the hospital’s Nursing Career Development Program which aims to transform nurses into globally competitive professionals through circular migration; the Psychosocial Wellness Program which was the institution’s response to the growing burnout faced by frontliners during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic; the WebiCon series that sought to educate and inform the public on various medical ailments, treatments and prevention measures and many others.
The award was given for CSMC’s exceptional training program under the Philippine Center for Advanced Surgery - Minimally Invasive Surgery Training Center (PCAS-MISTC). Prior to this, CSMC was already named Regional Exemplar in the same category. In 2016, the hospital bagged the Employer of the Year Award, making it the first private hospital to receive this accolade from PMAP.
The certification is valid from 2022 to 2025 and is the culmination of a re-accreditation process that has seen the hospital receive the highest-possible approval that IiP hands out. Platinum accreditation means that there is a high level of trust, empowerment, and collaboration between the organization’s leaders and its people. CSMC provides opportunities for people to build their networks, drive their own learning and development, and feel they are in an environment where they can be their very best and be valued for why they are unique.
Cardinal Santos Medical Center (CSMC) opened the year with a milestone with its contract signing with ASC Global Recruitment (ASCGR), an agency engaged in the recruitment of skilled Filipino workers for placement overseas.
The partnership between the two organizations will create an opportunity for Filipino nurses to jumpstart their global careers through Cardinal Santos Medical Center, one of the country’s leading private tertiary hospital. For the hospital, the partnership is one way of fulfilling its vision to develop globally competitive nursing professionals whose career journey begin with Cardinal Santos Medical Center.
