Truck driver saved from heart attack at The Medical City | The Medical City

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Truck driver saved from heart attack at The Medical City

By The Medical City (TMC), Ortigas | September 12, 2025

Truck driver saved from heart attack at The Medical City

The Medical City’s internationally-accredited Heart Attack Care Program records a one-year survival rate of 95%, ensuring life-saving treatment is given to patient in a timely manner.

For 45-year-old delivery truck driver Brando Buban, a typical workday starts before sunrise, making deliveries until late at night.  

On what seemed like an ordinary Tuesday morning, while driving into Ortigas for a delivery, he suddenly felt a tightening in his chest, a symptom he had never experienced before. Thinking his blood pressure was just high and having no known family history of heart problems, he didn’t realize he was experiencing a heart attack. 

“I thought it was just high blood pressure, and I was just getting pale. I didn’t know I was having a heart attack,” Brando shared in Filipino.  

Fortunately for him, a nurse who worked nearby helped him call an ambulance and he was immediately taken to The Medical City’s Emergency Room, where doctors informed him that he had a blocked artery and he was having a heart attack. A surgical procedure was urgently needed.  

Aside from the chest pain, fear began to set in. Fear after the confirmation that he was indeed having a heart attack, and of the financial implications of being hospitalized. 

“I was frightened because I didn’t realize that I was having a heart attack. It was also a private hospital, so I was worried about that too,” Brando admits. 

However, his worries eased when Dr. Paolo Prado, Director of The Medical City’s Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) Clinical Care Program, personally assured him that his PhilHealth benefits would cover the procedure. 

“Doc told me not to worry, as it will be covered by PhilHealth. He said he will take care of it personally,” Brando shared. 

In December 2024, PhilHealth expanded its coverage for heart attacks. For Brando, this meant that his Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI), or angioplasty, was fully covered.  


  Several people in a operating room AI-generated content may be incorrect.

 TMC’s Heart Attack Care Team is performing an angioplasty, a minimally invasive procedure to open a blocked artery. 


Relieved that there would be no financial burden and comforted by The Medical City’s expertise in heart care, Brando found the strength to undergo the procedure. 

After a successful angioplasty and a series of cardiac rehabilitation sessions, Brando is now back to his daily routine. 


 A person in a green shirt AI-generated content may be incorrect. 

 Brando Buban months after his life-saving heart attack procedure.


“Everything seemed normal after I got discharged. It was as if I didn’t undergo a procedure or had a heart attack. I’m now back to my usual work routine.” 

For a lot of Filipinos, fear of high hospital costs holds them back from seeking immediate care. PhilHealth’s expanded benefits provide coverage for heart attack treatment, which includes angioplasty and cardiac rehabilitation sessions, easing the financial burden on patients and their families. 

This is also what allowed Brando to fully focus on his recovery without worry. 

“What helped me the most is Doc Prado’s promise that [my treatment] is covered by PhilHealth. It really eased my worries,” he said. “I’m also grateful to The Medical City. They don’t neglect their patients,” Brando added.  

TMC’s AMI Clinical Care Program is recognized by Joint Commission International, upholding a commitment to immediate treatment of heart attack patients within the golden hour: from the emergency room to the catheterization laboratory to undergo procedure within an hour. To date, the program has recorded a one-year survival rate of 95%, the highest in its history. 

Brando’s story is proof that timely access to emergency care, skilled medical professionals, and reliable support can make a huge difference for heart attack patients. 

To learn more about The Medical City’s heart attack care program and the Cardiovascular Institute’s services, call 8988-1000 local 6314, or visit www.themedicalcity.com.  

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