Last week, we were invited for a tour and discussion of the first ever Aster DM Healthcare Clinic in the Philippines located at the L/2F St. Francis Square, Dona Juliana Vargas Avenue cor. Bank Drive, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City, behind SM Megamall. When it comes to anything food and health related, we always say "Yes please with antioxidant-packed cherry on top!"
***
Background
The year was 1987, Dr. Azad Moopen in Dubai, United Arab Emirates founded the Aster DM Healthcare which is a private sector healthcare that caters patients in the Middle East. The healthcare covers a vast array of healthcare verticals that includes hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, healthcare consultancy service and an advanced Medical City.
***
As a Foundation
In the Philippines, they started out as a foundation focusing on the help of Filipino children with cardiovascular disorder.Just like the latest heart surgery survivor, Joinel.
Joneil reached ASTER MedCity in India last 27 April 2016 and was given all the attention and care he was not able to afford in the past. Last 29 April 2016, his surgery was successfully done by ASTER's team of doctors. Joneil showed his courage and bravery all this time and he is now recuperating well in PICU.
The queue for this kind of procedure is starting to get longer and longer, and it won't hurt to encourage the foundation to do more of the things that their best at - helping out children like Joneil. Help this foundation to help others!
For every Facebook Like on SaveTheLittleHearts, the Aster DM Healthcare Clinic will donate Php100.00 to patient like Joneil.
As of today, here are the departments that Aster DM Healthcare is offering:
General Medicine
Paediatrics
Dental, Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Dermatology
Internal Medicine
ENT
Nephrology
Urology
Cardiology
Pulmonology
Ophthalmology
General Surgery
Laboratory
Aster DM Healthcare have rooms, equipment and entire facility designed to follow global standards. Consultation and treatment rooms are built to help patients feel relaxed and at ease. Medical, Diagnostic and Laboratory equipment use the latest medical technologies. World-class protocols ensure infection control, patient comfort and safety. Laboratory includes:
Biochemistry
Hematology
Bacteriology
Mycology
BS Level 3 Tuberculosis Lab
Serology
Histopathology
Neuropathology
Renal Pathology
Pulmonary Pathology
Hematopathology
Bone Pathology
Onco Pathology
Drug Testing
HIV Testing
Diagnostics & Imaging
Aster DM Healthcare uses only the most advanced machines for diagnostic and imaging services that guarantee accuracy and precision. As of today, here are the services they offer:
X-Ray
Ultrasound
2D Echo
Electrocardiogram (ECG)
Treadmill (Stress Test)
***
As a Healthcare Clinic
Aster Clinic in St. Francis Square is the first of the many Aster Clinics to cater the Filipino patients. Currently, their laboratory clinic facility in the Philippines is Level II. The good news, they are aiming to upgrade to Level III this year.
First healthcare in the Philippine to have the EMR
- EMR is Electronic Medical Record, which means all of patient's record is in a computer system that could be read by different doctors treating the patient. This means no queue to the Medical Record. No need to bring test and lab results. Check up appointment is a breeze.
First healthcare in the Philippines that complies to HIPAA
- HIPAA is the highest standard when it comes to patient's right to privacy. HIPAA stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. It is higher than the local standard, and since Aster is a global healthcare is goes beyond the standard.HIPAA is a United States legislation that provides data privacy and security provisions for safeguarding medical information. It established a national standard for processing electronic healthcare transactions that also requires healthcare organizations to implement secure electronic access to health data and to remain in compliance with privacy regulations set by HHS. Your dignity, intact. Respect and secrecy at it's finest.
First healthcare in the Philippines that uses Biometric
- You don't need to bring any ID's, all you need is your index finger. Again, Check up appointment is a breeze.
- Feeling unwell in the evening, you have nowhere else to go but the ER. Sick, but is not life-threatening - you'll wait for your turn. The SOP is, prioritize life-threatened patients. Unwell - you'll pay for more than what is necessary. The SOP is, you have to undergo unnecessary tests when you enter ER. Well, not anymore! Aster DM Healthcare Clinic made me sigh a huge amount of relief, knowing that there is a place we can go to, in times of need in the wee hours of the night. The location is very accessible and could cater patients from the BPO industry - a very fitting way to serve the Filipinos.
***
Blogger's Day Discussion
What are overweight and obesity?
Overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health.
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a simple index of weight-for-height that is commonly used to classify overweight and obesity in adults. it is defined as a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of his height in meters (kg/m^3).
The WHO definition is:
a BMI greater than or equal to 25 is overweight.
a BMI greater than or equal to 30 is obesity.
What causes obesity and overweight?
The fundamental cause of obesity and overweight is an energy imbalance between calories consumed and calories expended.
Globally, there has been:
an increased intake of energy-dense food that are high in fat; and
an increase in physical inactivity due to the increasingly sedentary nature of many forms of work, changing modes of transportation, and increasing urbanization.
Physical inactivity is the MAJOR factor in the prevalence of obesity in the Philippines.
The survey said 93 percent of Filipinos do not engage in leisure-related physical activity and about three-fourth of adults do not engage in non-work physical activity (75.4 percent) and work-related physical activity (76.3 percent).
What are common health consequences of overweight and obesity?
Raised BMI is a major risk factor for noncommunicable diseases such as:
Cardiovascular diseases (mainly heart disease and stroke), which were the leading cause of death in 2012;
Diabetes Mellitus;
Musculoskeletal disorders (especially osteoarthritis - a highly disabling degenerative disease of the joints);
Some cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon).
The risk for these non communicable diseases increases with an increase in BMI.
Childhood obesity is associated with a higher chance of obesity, premature death and disability in adulthood.
What to do?
At the individual level, people can:
limit energy intake from total fats and sugars;
increase consumption of fruits and vegetables, as well as legumes, whole grains and nuts;
engage in regular physical activity (60 minutes a day for children and 150 minutes per week for adults).
21 percent of Filipino adults are Hypertensive - Philippines Society of Hypertension (PSH)
Hypertension
A condition in which the blood vessels have persistently raised pressure, putting them under increased stress.
Normal adult blood pressure is defined as a blood pressure of 120 mmHg when the heart beats (systolic) and a blood pressure of 80 mmHg when the heart relaxes (diastolic).
Five Concrete Steps to minimize the odds of developing high blood pressure and its adverse consequences:
1 Healthy diet
2 Avoiding harmful use of alcohol i.e., limit intake to no more than one standard drink a day
3 Physical activity
4 Stopping tobacco use and exposure to tobacco products
5 Managing stress in healthy way such as through meditation, appropriate physical exercise, and positive social contact
***
Healthcards
Astet Healthcards are now available to purchase, no age limit and is perfect as company health benefit and household employees as well. There are 3 different kinds of card: elite, plus and deluxe.
Deluxe is the green card containing 2 Free doctor consultations, 1 Basic annual physical examination package and 5% discount on dental services, laboratory services, radiology services, preventive vaccines program for adults including flu vaccine, hepa vaccine, chicken and HPV vaccine. 5 % discount on ultrasound procedures and heart station services including treadmill stress test and ecg.**
Plus is the silver card containing 4 Free doctor consultations, 1 comprehensive annual physical examination package and 5% discount on dental services, laboratory services, radiology services, preventive vaccines program for adults including flu vaccine, hepa vaccine, chicken and HPV vaccine. 5 % discount on ultrasound procedures and heart station services including treadmill stress test and ecg.**
Elite is the gold card containing 10 Free doctor consultations, 1 comprehensive annual physical examination package and 5% discount on dental services, laboratory services, radiology services, preventive vaccines program for adults including flu vaccine, hepa vaccine, chicken and HPV vaccine. 5 % discount on ultrasound procedures and heart station services including treadmill stress test and ecg.**
**These cards are not valid in conjunction with other promo, discounts and packages, non-transferable, not convertible to cash. Deluxe card is valid six month from purchase while Elite and Plus cards are valid one year from purchase.
Health Packages
Aster Medical and Diagnostic Clinic offers different health packages and is currently on sale!
Annual Physical Examination Package (APE) for only Php495.00, save Php760.00
Includes: CBC with Platelet Count Complete Urinalysis (10 parameters) Fecalysis Cheat X-Ray (PA view) Eye Examination Dental Examination Complete Physical Examination
Comprehensive APE Package Male for only Php975.00, save Php775.00
Includes: CBC with Platelet Count Complete Urinalysis (10 parameters) Fecalysis Cheat X-Ray (PA view) Eye Examination Dental Examination Complete Physical Examination Electrocardiogram (ECG) Fasting Blood Glucose (FBS)
Comprehensive APE Package Female for only Php1390.00, save Php660.00
Includes: CBC with Platelet Count Complete Urinalysis (10 parameters) Fecalysis Cheat X-Ray (PA view) Eye Examination Dental Examination Complete Physical Examination Electrocardiogram (ECG) Fasting Blood Glucose (FBS) Papsmear
Diabetes Screening Package for only Php2800.00, save Php630.00
Includes: Fasting Blood Glucose (FBS) Complete Urinalysis (10 parameters) Creatinine Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) SGP1 and SGOI Eye Examination HbA1C Medical Examination Post Evaluation Consultation
***
We'll Treat You Well
It is indeed a must to apply medical science to diagnose and treat diseases, but true healing happens when a caring connection between healer and patient is created wherein faster recovery, new hope and joy and the realization of health restoration is evident- this is where Aster is known. Aster with more than 290 establishments in UAE, Oman, Qatar, KSA, Kuwait, BAhrain, Jordan, India and now, in the Philippines is a name synonymous with world-class treatment and compassionate care. Aster believe that true quality healthcare improves lives of patients holistically - the combination of medical science and the art of healing.
Aster DM Healthcare assures patients that every time they come to visit ASTER, they will have someone they could talk to, willing to listen and will take care of you as a partner; providing you respect, secrecy and with the best options to choose from - medical expertise, compassion, and state-of0the-art technology - so that your health needs are well taken care of.
Aster Medical & Diagnostic Clinic opens its first clinic in the Philippines to benefit Filipinos with its brand expertise and care, located at G/F St. Francis Square (behind SM Megamall), Dona Julia Vargas Avenue, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City.
Official Facebook Page: fb.com/AsterDMHPhilippines
Email: info.philippines@astermedicalcentre.com
No comments:
Post a Comment