One-Stop Shop Diabetes Center Opens at The Medical City

Premier health institution The Medical City (TMC) has opened a one-stop shop Diabetes Center that aims to provide the country’s diabetic population with customized patient care and access to a multidisciplinary team approach.

The TMC Diabetes Center’s formal opening held on July 18, 2014 was led by TMC President and CEO Dr. Alfredo R.A. Bengzon; Dr. Eugenio Jose F. Ramos, Senior Vice President for Medical Services Group; Virginia B. Alano, SVP for Patient Services Group; Dr. Ruben Kasala, head of the Department of Medicine and Section of Endocrinology and Dr. Mary Queen Villegas Florencio, co-director of the Diabetes Center.

The Diabetes Center brings together competent and compassionate endocrinologists, nutritionists, diabetes nurse educators, foot care specialists, exercise physiologists, ophthalmologists (retinal specialists), nephrologists, neurologists, cardiologists, psychiatrists and surgeons, dedicated to provide comprehensive management of diabetes and its complications as well as prevent diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease through education.

The center offers the following services: Diabetes screening, Diabetes’ Complications screening including Fundus Photo, Diabetes education, classes and lay forums, Foot care (education and assessment), Pediatric and Adult Endocrinology consult, and Diabetes Support Group. The center’s educational and support services are specifically designed to meet the needs of patients with diabetes and their families.

TMC’s diabetes classes titled “The Sweet Life: Changing the Face of Diabetes” and diabetes support group meetings are held every third Saturday of the month. The diabetes support group is composed of patients with diabetes and their families and was established to empower them to be involved and be responsible in comprehensive diabetes care, education and management to prevent complications and promote health despite diabetes.

Diabetes is a complex, progressive disease that can lead to debilitating long-term complications if the sugar levels are not kept under control. In 2013, statistics from the Philippine Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism indicated that 7.2 percent of Filipinos have diabetes while one out of five Filipinos has abnormal levels of sugar.“The Diabetes Center is a tangible example of The Medical City’s commitment to patient partnership and personalized and customized care,” says Dr. Kasala.

According to the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, a person with diabetes needs a comprehensive and customized care plan in order to manage his condition. This care plan includes nutrition, medication, blood sugar monitoring, exercise, screening for complications, and consultation.

“The Medical City has decided to take up the challenge and give in to the growing clamor for comprehensive diabetes care by opening the Diabetes Center which will serve as the delivery platform or the staging ground for a customized and personalized care plan for patients with diabetes,” says Dr. Bengzon.

The Diabetes Center is committed to provide the highest quality of diabetes care, increase awareness of the community on the burdens of lifestyle-related endocrine diseases such as diabetes, obesity and dyslipidemia (metabolic syndrome), and engage in clinical and molecular research to help improve the public’s health.

The center is located at the Ground floor, Podium Building, The Medical City in Ortigas, Pasig City. It is open from Monday to Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. For inquiries, please call 988-1000 or 988-7000 ext. 6611.