Breaking Barriers in Gender, Health, and the Environment Through Synergy

Manila Doctors Hospital (MDH) is the first and only private hospital in the Philippines to ever commit to and publicly declare a “social vision.” Since then, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become deeply embedded in the corporate culture of MDH. It is a conscious effort that we align our CSR programs with both the international and national commitments for human development. In combining applicability, sustainability, and replicability in CSR program implementation, MDH is now creating a path toward program sustainability, which thrives on synergy.

World-class care for social service patients

As a private hospital, MDH must face the challenge of making the business financially viable while also making every effort to pursue expansion. This challenge does not deter us from recognizing that access to health is a basic human right. In a country where, because of poverty, 30 percent die without seeing a doctor and only two out of ten living in poverty have access to free healthcare, it is considered an audacious move for a private hospital that caters to upper-income groups to accept patients with unreliable resources.

MDH social service patients are given access to holistic medical intervention, consultation, laboratory discounts, basic family planning counseling, as well as additional financial support for those who need confinement or are suffering from complicated medical conditions. To further secure the quality of care, a social worker of the hospital conducts an after-care home visit. These home visits give us an opportunity to convince patients who fail to come for follow-up consultations to cooperate with the treatment / recovery plan. In 2014 alone, MDH provided various healthcare interventions to a total of 25,477 social service patients.

In response to the country cooperation strategy with the World Health Organization, MDH engages in capacitating individuals, families, and communities to better manage their health and its determinants. This is done by deploying both the Department of Family and Community Medicine and the Department of Pediatrics in our adopted public schools and communities. Both medical departments work toward improving health-seeking behaviors as a preventive approach in managing communicable and non-communicable diseases and their risk factors. By engaging the local stakeholders to invest in preventive actions, including early detection, families and children as young as six years old gain the capacity to manage both their social and environmental determinants of health.

Men taking on gender issues

Manila Doctors Hospital proudly includes in its list of organizational achievements the fact that 70 percent of its leadership and key positions are held by women. The level of comfort, acceptance, and gains made due to strict adherence to non-discriminatory policies toward women emboldened the male leaders of the hospital to launch the Men Caring for Women (MCW) advocacy campaign. The aim is to increase the involvement of men in calling attention to the dangers of cervical cancer, violence against women and children, and human trafficking.

MDH is offering its own experiences to the business sector by showing how an engendered business practice can positively affect the bottom line and be recognized by peers as a model of good governance.

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among Filipino women, but due to poor access to screening and treatment services, 90 percent of those who contract the disease in poor communities often die without proper intervention. The effect on families when a mother or a daughter in her prime dies of the disease is both psychologically traumatic and economically distressing. Although a vaccine is available, the costs are difficult to overcome.

A study shows that one in five Filipino women aged 15 to 49 have experienced physical violence, while one in ten women have experienced sexual violence. In 2012 the Department of Social Welfare and Development reported a total of 5,554 child abuse cases and 1,376 human trafficking cases. The Philippines remains on the Tier 2 Category Watch list of the US State Department because of its dismal record in prosecuting cases. Since 2005 the total number of convictions has been 180.

The men leading the MCW campaign are currently engaged in awareness-building activities and fundraising through various forms of media. Funds are being utilized to: (1) make screenings and vaccines accessible to economically challenged young women in identified communities, reshaping the perception that cervical cancer is a health issue just for women; (2) train volunteer lawyers and prosecutors on the proper handling of violence against women and human trafficking cases. Forums in major cities are also being organized and the Community Council on the Protection of Children is being strengthened. Information materials are being made available that emphasize basic human rights, the importance of vigilance in the community, and the crucial role of men in ending violence against women and preventing human trafficking in communities.

Green rebellion

Contributing to the sustainable green economy requires adopting green governance supported by policies and strict guidelines. That has been the norm with MDH since it decided to tenaciously work toward reducing its carbon footprint. The result is millions of pesos in savings that are now being used to help fund various CSR programs. The discipline of segregating and earning from recyclables is now being integrated in our school and community health programs through the Ecosavers project. The GREEN Rebellion (Generating Resources & Engagement for Environment & Nature), aimed at creating and preserving clean and green spaces, was launched in 2014. Volunteers are now meticulously reviving and preserving the last forest park in Manila and engaging the MDH-adopted community to create its own urban garden areas.

Circle of partners

The importance of collaborative action – from legal services, post-op medicines, halfway homes, shelters, sponsorship for education support, counseling, and disaster response – is emphasized through the diverse partners that we have welcomed into our MDH - Corporate Social Responsibility Office Circle of Partners. Our partners make it possible for us to offer holistic services to our social service patients, proving that synergy of resources is an effective tool in breaking down barriers to development.

Moving forward

After 58 years of promoting a culture of excellence, the Manila Doctors Hospital is now in the midst of its biggest business expansion. This will be another challenge, given the public declaration of the MDH President, Mr. Aniceto M. Sobrepeña: “With this new investment, the hospital will be more proactive in pursuing our various corporate social responsibility programs.”