The Silliman University Medical Center Foundation, Inc. (SUMCFI) has begun construction for its new Cancer Institute.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the Cancer Institute was held Thursday at the west side of the SUMCFI grounds. It is expected to be operational by November, as soon as the permits are obtained from the Department of Health.
The Cancer Institute is a partnership between SUMCFI and the Philippine Oncology Center Corporation (POCC). The POCC, the Philippine’s first stand-alone radiation oncology treatment center, has six partner hospitals in Luzon and the partnership with the SUMCFI is the first in the Visayas and Mindanao.
SUMCFI President and Administrator Roberto D. Montebon said the POCC will be installing a Linear Accelerator, which is capable of 2D conventional radiotherapy, 3D conformal radiotherapy and Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IRMT) modalities.
“We will be providing a ‘glocal’ service, where we have state-of-the-art global standards of cancer treatment in our locality. We are taking one step at a time to let the Hospital level up to become an honest-to-goodness referral center,” Montebon said.
Dr. Geena Priscila Macalua-Labaco, chairperson of the Special Medical Services and Hema-Oncology Unit of the SUMCFI, said the Cancer Institute would be a big boost in the treatment of cancer, which at present is limited to chemotherapy and surgery.
She said that through this partnership with the POCC, patients who need radiation therapy need not have to go to Cebu, Iloilo or Manila but can have the treatment done right here in Dumaguete.
Dr. Macalua-Labaco said that based on experience, having all cancer treatment modalities in Dumaguete will greatly help cancer patients because they need not be burdened by added expenses like travel and living costs. “Radiation therapy is not a one-day treatment. On average, it takes about a month. The high cost of living in the big cities where radiation therapy treatment is presently available makes treatment or the patient a difficult option for most families,” she said.
Dr. Jose Hererra, president of the POCC, said that through this partnership with the SUMCFI, residents, interns and future cancer specialists can train at the Cancer Institute. “We will be producing our own specialists right here,” he said. (MP)
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