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In line with Capitol University’s mission to provide quality education among its students, the school has established its own general hospital in order to comply with the necessary requirements specified by the education department for the University’s School of Midwifery.

The school of Midwifery was established in 1973 by none other than Madame Laureana San Pedro Rosales. The hospital, which was specially made for the school’s midwifery students, was originally named as the Cagayan Capitol General Hospital. In 1976, the hospital was upgraded into a secondary hospital and was renamed the CCC General Hospital.

One of the primary functions of the hospital was to serve as a training facility for the midwifery and nursing students of Cagayan Capitol College. After several years, the hospital was moved to its present location along CM Recto Avenue in Barangay Gusa. That same year, 1983, the hospital, which already had a 50-bed capacity, was also accredited as a tertiary hospital.

In 1998, the hospital’s name was changed into the Cagayan Capitol General Hospital Foundation Inc. Since then, it started to offer a variety of health related services including surgical, medical, obstetrics, pediatrics services in its in-patient and outpatient care units, laboratory, radiology, and rehabilitation facilities. The hospital provides quality medical services with its highly competent medical staff, which is currently headed by Dr. Jesus M. Jardin.

Last August 15, 2007, the hospital, now called Capitol University Medical City, successfully introduced its new set of hospital facilities. The event was held simultaneously during the Feast of the Assumption. As the event’s guest of honor, Senator Mar Roxas joined the inauguration along with the then newly ordained Cagayan de Oro Archbishop, his Excellency the Most Reverend Antonio Ledesma, S.J.,D.D. Reverend Antonio Ledesma served as the main celebrant for the Thanksgiving Mass.

As of today, the Capitol University Medical City has successfully developed various centers of excellence in a select group of medical fields. Apart from this, the hospital’s highly advanced facilities are complimented by its team of high-caliber specialists and sub specialists.

The Capitol University Medical City currently has an oncology center, endoscopy center, hearing center, as well as a hemodialysis unit.

One of the hospital’s main goals as of the moment is to reach the Level 4 Medical Facility Accreditation. According to the hospital’s vice president and administrator, Mrs. Rosalinda Deleste, the group at the CUMC hospital has entered into a memorandum of agreement that allows CUMC to serve as the base hospital in consortium with the JR Borja Memorial City Hospital and the Maria Reyna Hospital. This specific memorandum of agreement was made last January 2007.

The Capitol University Medical City hospital’s efforts to enhance medical and health care services in the entire region have encouraged the enthusiasm towards the medical tourism market in the region.

Maintaining or developing world class medical facilities within the region is necessary, according to the experts in the business community. For these experts, the availability of such medical services is one way of encouraging foreign and local investors to stay.

-by Mara Tismo-
(Photo taken from flickr.com)

A successful open heart surgery was recently performed at Capitol University Medical City (CUMC), which was a first in Northern Mindanao.

The surgery was a relatively new treatment wherein the patient’s chest was opened and surgery was performed on the heart. The term “open” refers to the chest, and not the heart itself, although the heart may or may not be opened depending on the method used.

The heart surgical procedure was conducted to correct a mitral valve stenosis, a health condition where the leaflets of the mitral valve (one of the heart’s four valves) are fused together by scar tissue, thus causing a narrowing of the valve and slowing the blood flow from the left atrium to the left ventricles. As a result, the heart is overworked and eventually becomes enlarged.

The most common cause of this heart disease is, believe it or not, a bacterial infection of the throat, which, when involved with the heart, can result to the condition called rheumatic heart disease. If this ailment is left untreated, mitral valve stenosis could lead to heart attacks or strokes. Thus, the open heart surgery performed in Cagayan de Oro City can be considered a life saving operation.

The patient was Daryl Jean Pailagao, 21-year-old, who was diagnosed with a case of severe mitral valve stenosis secondary to rheumatic heart disease. She was then advised by her physician, Dr. Jose Victor Pena from CUMC, to undergo the mitral valve replacement treatment.

So, around 9 A.M. on March 6, the cardiac surgery team of Capitol University Medical City worked together to perform the first ever open heart surgery in the city of Cagayan de Oro. The group was led by Dr. Jose Joaquin Hernandez, a thoraco-cardiovascular specialist based in CUMC, as well as by Dr. Felix Lukban from the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital in Manila.

The rest of the team members were:

- Dr. Brian Villarin (CUMC)
- Dr. Philip Valencia (Davao Medical Center)
- Cardiac Anesthesiologists and Perfusionists Jesse Tan (CUMC) and J-R Pang (Philippine Heart Center)
- Pulmonologist Dr. Glen Refre
- CUMC’s operating room nurses led by Henny Berdiguel
- ICU nurses led by Maria Dena Valdehuza

When it comes to open heart surgery, the expertise of the doctors and the techniques used are of paramount importance. Thus, Daryl Jean Pailagao was assured that her health was in the hands of skilled and experienced professionals.

In addition, the operation was made possible by the efforts of Share Foundation Inc, a non-government organization that aims to give assistance to impoverished heart patients. At present, the foundation is chaired by Mr. Ding Carreon, Del Monte Phils, and CUMC.

Capitol University Medical City, formerly called Cagayan Capitol General Hospital Foundation Inc, started out as a 50-bed tertiary hospital. The medical facility was founded by the late Laureana S. Rosales, who envisioned the hospital to be Cagayan de Oro’s heart center.

Today, CUMC has 200 beds and is being managed by Laurenea’s daughter, Rosalinda Rosales Deleste, who is also committed to making CUMC a heart surgery center for the residents of Northern Mindanao.

-by Gillian Abonitalla-

Body and Sole aims to offer the best health and wellness assistances to its customers at prices that are affordable. Its core principle – customer relaxation at half the cost – has gained them a loyal set of clients, which is difficult to match in the spa business.

Some of its best services are:

• Body Scrub. It is an hour of body massage and exfoliation with the client being given a warm water rubdown, soaking the skin to prepare the body for a relaxing grainy scrub. A mixture of sea salt, sea weeds, vanilla paste and mineral oil is rubbed all over the body in circular motion, applying a slight pressure in penetrating and exfoliating the skin. By carefully massaging the entire body, it is given a revitalizing 30-minute scrub. Then the body is washed for 10 minutes with seaweed and avocado wash, ridding it from loose dead skin, and scrubbed with paste to leave the whole body with a smooth velvet-like texture. Finally, the body is generously applied with citrus-infused lotion and massaged for 20 minutes for a smooth and flawless-looking skin.

• Foot Spa. For about an hour, a client is pampered by expert foot therapists to relax weary and dull feet. At first, the feet are washed with sea salt and baking soda and with a spa vessel, they are soaked in warm water that has a scented soak solution. With an herbal scrub, calluses and dead skin are gently removed. Both feet are then massaged particularly on vital reflex points with a foot lotion. The soles are likewise applied with mild antiseptic solution until they dry. A foot powder is then rubbed over the feet for healthy and rejuvenated feet.

• Body Massage. For an hour and 15 minutes, a client will experience reviving indulgence as professionally trained masseurs/masseuses give him/her a body massage. A cold or hot body shower – from head to toe – is initially given. Then a mix of Swedish style and Shiatsu massage and aromatherapy is done to relax the muscles and relieve stress. Warm scented towels are rubbed on the body to rid of excess oils and toxins. Lastly, a firming lotion, which is said to be therapeutic, is applied on the entire body, sealing in moisture and maintaining the skin’s softness.

The body massage and foot spa business is headquartered at Suite 139-B Ground Floor, Raintree Mail near F. Ramos Street, Cebu City. Its first operation was on May 15th, 2003 and has since gained several city branches across the country. These include Cavite, Danao, Lapu-lapu, Tacloban, Tagbilaran, Cagayan de Oro, Bacolod, Dumaguete, Lucena, Mandaue and Masbate.

To this day, Body and Sole, formed by chief executive officer Johnie C. Lim, continuously functions to engage in business partnership ventures with qualified entrepreneurs through the franchising of their company. As a result, more establishments are said to have opened in Butuan City, Metro Manila, Carcar, Davao City and Iloilo City.

For more information, contact Body and Sole Spa at info@bodyandsolephilippines.com or visit their website at www.bodyandsolephilippines.com.

-by Rose Anne Quirante-
(*Photo taken from ilink.ph)

The Cagayan de Oro Medical Center has been catering to the numerous medical needs of the city’s locals for more than 30 years. Over the years, this significant Kagay-anon health care facility has earned its mark in the city’s history. During the course of its operation, the Cagayan de Oro Medical Center has evolved from its humble beginnings into becoming one of the city’s most relevant medical institutions.

The medical facility was established with the goal to provide the best health care services in the city. The Cagayan de Oro Medical Center was founded by a group of optimistic medical practitioners. Dr. Zenaida Floreindo, along with six other skillful physicians, decided to pool their knowledge and expertise together in order to establish what is now known as the Cagayan de Oro Medical Center.

Dr. Zenaida Floreindo’s team of medical experts was composed of a pediatrician, Dr. Pedro Abalos; a pathologist, Dr. Jose Gaerlan; an eye, ear and nose specialist, Dr. Santiago Mercado II; an internist, Dr. Pete Mende; and finally, a surgeon, Dr. Roberto “Bob” Nery.

Today, the medical institution provides a wide range of topnotch health care services to numerous people all over Cagayan de Oro, as well as to the people in its nearby provinces. Being an OB-Gyne and obstetrician herself, Dr. Zenaida Floreindo’s established medical institution provides one of the city’s best women’s health care services.

For decades now, the institution’s team of seasoned obstetrician/gynecologists is known to provide excellent medical services in the various areas of childbirth and pregnancy. Apart from this, they are also known for helping cure numerous Kagay-anon women’s disorders concerning the reproductive system.

The Cagayan de Oro Medical Center is equipped with various modern medical facilities allowing them to deliver excellent Obstetrical and Gynecological services to different Kagay-anon women from all walks of life. This notable medical institute is capable of providing a range of services including prenatal care, quality preventative care, Pap-test screening, family planning services, as well as several medical services related to sexually transmitted diseases.

Additionally, the Cagayan de Oro Medical Center’s OB-Gyne department also covers a variety of important sub-specialties within this particular field of medicine. The medical institution’s team of gynecologists and obstetricians are known to deal with several important medical stuff such as adolescent gynecology, cancer, endocrinology, counseling, as well as other health services related to women.

According to Dr. Zenaida Floreindo Diawatan, who currently serves as the head of the Cagayan de Oro Medical Center’s Obstetrical and Gynecological Services, “Our department practically provides almost all health care services for the whole being of a woman. It basically is a wellness center for women.” She also adds, “From pregnancy, childbirth, adolescent problems to menopausal period, COMC’s Ob-Gyne department has come a long way in terms of addressing the health concerns of women in the community.”

Dr. Zenaida Floreindo Diawatan specializes in medical cases involving women’s endocrinology, infertility and menopause. Throughout the entire Cagayan de Oro City, Dr. Diawatan remains as one of the very few doctors to offer artificial insemination services.

-by Mara Tismo-
(Photo taken from panoramio.com)