It has been recognised for its strong HIV advocacy and CSR activities in ophthalmology.
The Medical City South Luzon (TMCSL) in the Philippines has been lauded at the recently held ESGBusiness Awards for its advocacy of HIV/AIDS awareness, as well as the business’ success since the establishment of its state-of-the-art Eye Centre.
The hospital bagged the Health Equity and Inclusion Award – Philippines and the Community Health Outreach Programme Award – Philippines category.
Having been an advocate of the cause, TMCSL annually provides free lectures and free HIV screenings to its employees and its patient partners during World AIDS Day.
In its pursuit to turn the advocacy into a larger scale, it established the Centre for Reproductive Health and STI Treatment (CREST) in 2021. CREST is an accredited facility by the Philippine Department of Health (DOH) where linkages, diagnosis, treatment, and continuum of care and support for people with HIV are provided. TMCSL held a fundraising event to further promote this.
In 2022, it was kicked off by a Fun Run for a Cause which sponsored CREST patients and the Positive Action Foundation Philippines Inc. (PAFPI), a non-profit organisation in HIV advocacy. It also held the annual fundraiser runway event Red Gala, which featured doctors, employees, and guests.
TMCSL’s Chief Operating Officer Dr. Jose Enrico Juliano described the fundraising activity as TMCSL’s “small contribution” with artistic expression, whilst rekindling awareness and advancing progress on HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care around the world.”
This year’s fashion event raised PHP100,000 for PAFPI.
Meanwhile, TMCSL’s Eye Centre takes pride in being one of the leaders in providing free, affordable, and accessible services to partners.
It has started providing free services from giving out free eye checkups during TMCSL’s Medical Missions and free screenings during eye diseases-related celebrations such as World Glaucoma Week and Sight Saving Months.
With the leadership of TMCSL’s President and CEO Dr. Cesar Ramon G. Espiritu, the hospital expanded its initiative to provide a more sustainable corporate social responsibility in the field of ophthalmology by partnering with the Philippines’ largest surgical charity group Mabuhay Deseret Foundation (MDF) in providing free cataract surgeries in the province of Laguna and nearby areas.
Ever since the partnership started in early 2020, the collaboration of these two organisations has brought several mass eye screening activities at least once a month. To date, they have screened more than a thousand patients and have conducted cataract surgeries in 211 of them. Through this partnership, all qualified patients can also avail of the cataract surgery using only their Philhealth benefits, without additional out-of-pocket expense.
As part of the future plans for expansion, TMCSL and MDF are planning to add 100 more patients per month coming in from the province of Nueva Ecija starting September 2023. The former has also given its commitment to adding more medical equipment to serve MDF patients.
ESGBusiness Awards honours businesses that demonstrate outstanding commitment and achievement in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices, as well as those leading the way in building a sustainable future.
Credits: https://esgbusiness.com/event-news/medical-city-south-luzon-garners-two-titles-esgbusiness-awards
