Itinalaga ng Department of Health (DOH) ang Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center (MMMHMC) sa Batac, Ilocos Norte bilang Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Care Specialty Center para sa Ilocos Region.
Sa isang kalatas nitong Huwebes, nagpahayag ng katuwaan si Ilocos Regional Director Paula Paz M. Sydiongco sa naturang designasyon ng MMMHMC dahil makatutulong aniya ito upang mapaghusay ang pangangalaga at pagkakaloob ng lunas sa mga taong naghahanap ng specialty care at konsultasyon para sa ear, nose, and throat ailments.
Ayon kay Sydiongco, “Patients will no longer travel to Manila because the care they need will already be available here in Ilocos region.”
“Over the years, MMHMC has worked to provide the highest standard of health care services in the Ilocos region and now it has become the premier center for advanced health care in the north because of the dedication and commitment of its personnel – and this success is manifested by the establishments of various specialty centers,” aniya pa.
Nabatid na kabilang rin sa 12 specialty center na itinatag ay ang cardiovascular care, renal care at transplant, lung care, orthopedic care, mental health, neonatal care, cancer care, infectious disease at tropical medicine, geriatric care, eye care, dermatology care at ear, nose and throat care.
Ang MMMHMC ay itinayo noong 1968 at nag-evolved mula sa pagiging isang emergency hospital, tungo sa isang general hospital, hanggang sa maging medical center, na pinakamalaki at premier health care institution sa norte ng Maynila.
Para naman makatulong sa bagong papel nito bilang ENT center, pinagkalooban ito ng regional office ng isang Multifunctional Automated Auditory Brainstem Response at Auditory Steady State Response (ABR-ASSR) machine na ginagamit sa pag-diagnose ng mga taong pinaghihinalaang may abnormalidad sa pandinig.
Ayon kay MMMHMC Chief of Medical Professional Staff Jose B. Orosa III, ang Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery ay may mahalagang papel sa pagtatatag ng ENT Care alinsunod sa Universal Health Care.
“The department was accredited for conducting training for otolaryngologists leading towards specialization in pediatric ENT, otology, and neurotology, clinical audiology, head and neck surgery. We are planning to also venture into rhinology and maxillofacial trauma in the near future,” aniya.
Dagdag pa niya, “We have been providing comprehensive diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of related disorders of the ear, nose, and throat using state-of-the-art technology including managing various conditions that include hearing loss, sinusitis, allergies, voice disorders, sleep apnea syndrome, and tumors of the head and neck, among others with both surgical and non-surgical options.”
Hinikayat rin naman ni Orosa ang mga indibidwal na may ENT concerns na bumisita sa center para magpakonsulta.
Nabatid na ang designasyon ng MMMHMC ay naging posible sa pamamagitan ng Department Order (DO) No. 2021-0001-A na nilagdaan ni Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa noong Hulyo 25, 2023 at nag-aamiyenda sa DO No. 2023-0001 na may petsang Enero 4, 2021, para sa designasyon ng mga piling DOH hospitals bilang specialty centers.
