A SURVEY conducted this year by a leading insurance company in the Philippines reveals that 82 percent of 1,050 Filipino respondents cited rising health care costs as a top threat; this percentage rises to 86 percent among those ages 50 to 60. The illnesses that worry them the most — and the leading causes of death in the country — are heart disease (46 percent), diabetes (42 percent), stroke (34 percent) and cancer (31 percent).
The broader concerns about their physical well-being and rising medical costs are not unique to the respondents. They are actually serious causes of anxiety for military retirees who are battling more infirmities than fellow Filipinos of their age do, owing to deployments in harsh and demanding field environments requiring physical, emotional and psychological stamina. Hence, physical and mental health issues are not uncommon among Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) retirees, who mostly rely solely on their pensions for treatment and medication for the many illnesses that manifest long after they hang up their uniforms.
Veterans
Filipino soldiers who fought in World War II are categorized as war veterans, while post-WWII military personnel who are honorably discharged after serving at least six years of active service and those who have retired — either optionally or compulsorily — are veterans of a military campaign by definition of law. They and their qualified dependents are all entitled to free medical service at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC).
The VMMC, which was established in 1955 with full United States government assistance under the US Veterans Administration, has since been mandated by law to provide the "best quality of medical care and treatment to veterans and their dependents." After nearly 70 years, the number of VMMC patients and their dependents has increased exponentially. Now a tertiary-level government hospital with a 766-bed capacity, it can hardly cope with an average of more than 400-inpatient admissions and an average of 800 to 1,000 outpatients visiting daily.
The VMMC, which is under the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office of the Department of National Defense (DND), is aware of the competing priorities in the budget allocated to the DND. Despite its huge mandate, only P2.7 billion was allocated to the VMMC in 2023. A total of P1 billion is spent on personal services or salaries of hospital staff, and another P1 billion is set aside for maintenance and other operating expenses. Only a minuscule P700 million is left as capital outlay.
Caring for brethren not just an elusive dream
The members of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) "Magiting" Class of 1970 were aware of the predicament of the VMMC. Moved by a compelling need to provide for the well-being and welfare of fellow veteran-heroes who deserve the optimal medical treatment that only primary hospitals can provide but at an exorbitant cost, the "Magitings" embarked on an endeavor that is both ambitious and noble. They dreamed of a wellness facility that will be known as Magiting '70 Veteran's Wing. That dream is now a reality!
On Nov. 18, 2024, in an auspicious event that became a highlight in the VMMC's foundation anniversary, the Magiting '70 Wellness Wing (M70WW) was inaugurated. It was a well-attended ceremony, where no less than President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was invited as guest of honor and speaker. The legacy project, which has a total floor area of 1,380 square meters, is in a two-story structure with 12 private rooms — four of which are suites — two nurses stations, a spacious lounge and basement parking. It has an elevator, an emergency ramp and bridges that connect it to the VMMC main building for patients' accessibility to modern diagnostic and state-of-the-art therapy facilities and a seamless array of other medical services.
The M70WW sits on a newly constructed edifice designed to accommodate additional private rooms and facilities for hyperbaric medicine, as well as for telemedicine, to help accelerate the modernization of the VMMC Wellness Program. Remote patient consultation, management and monitoring through telemedicine would afford veterans earlier detection of chronic diseases without having to leave the comforts of their homes or travel far unless critically necessary.
"This visionary, one-stop Wellness Wing will serve as the core facility of the VMMC Wellness Program designed to instill among veterans and AFP retirees the habit of undergoing regular medical checkups, thereby promoting a culture of prevention," said retired lieutenant general Ernesto Carolina, the incumbent class president.
"Regular health checkups are crucial to a proactive approach to health care because only through early detection of health issues may veterans-patients seek timely medical interventions and guidance," he added.
The Magitings express their profound appreciation to D.M. Consunji Inc., whose President and CEO Jorge A. Consunji is an honorary member, and to Amethyst Corps Seventy Foundation Inc., the corporate arm of the class. They acknowledge that they owe a debt of gratitude to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., Bloomberry Cultural Foundation, Newport World Resorts Foundation, Lina Group of Companies, and most especially, San Miguel Corp., which funded the critical requirements that laid the cornerstones, so to speak, from where the project advanced. For without their benevolent support manifesting their corporate social responsibility, this health and wellness facility that ensures veterans who faithfully served their country will receive the specialized medical care and attention they deserve could not have been realized.
In accepting the benevolent donation, VMMC director Dr. Peter Paul RG Galvez assures PMA Class 1970 that its "investment is not a simple contribution! It is a step in making our defense force fight better, fight with more resolve to defend our country and our ideals. To fight better together with our partners and allies, knowing fully well that whatever happens to them (veterans), we [at the VMMC] will be here to care for them and bring them to full health!" He commits under his leadership a "hospital where we heal heroes, where we provide post-warrior care ... for those who fought for our land."
To the PMA Magiting Class of 1970, their partner-stakeholders and supporters who showed they care for those who once served and fought for the nation, "Pugay kamay!"
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