Sustaining a legacy of caring
Under the management of the Mount Grace Hospitals, Inc., the Fe del Mundo Medical Center continues its legacy of providing appropriate care to its target markets delivered by its compassionate professionals, keeping up with medical development and relevant technologies while partnering with organizations to assure sustained growth.
Since 2013, the Mount Grace has been managing the hospital built by Dr. Fe del Mundo, the first woman and first Asian to study at the Harvard Medical School. It has been committed to make FDMMC the hospital of choice of its communities by 2020, while continuing the legacy of its founder through the newly unveiled Legacy Wall mounted at the hospital’s main lobby.
“We thank our partners, Mount Grace Hospitals and Pinehurst Medical Services, for re-developing the Fe Del Mundo Medical Center into a world-class center of excellence and preserving her legacy in the wall of the hospital main lobby,” said Fe Del Mundo Medical Center Foundation Phils., Inc. chairperson Elisa Bengzon during the unveiling of the Legacy Wall held recently.
Gracing the unveiling were the officials of Mt. Grace Hospitals, Inc. led by its COO Rhais Gamboa.
Lady with a big heart
Fe Del Mundo Medical Center Foundation Phils., Inc. chairperson Elisa Bengzon talks about the legacy of the medical institution’s founder during the unveiling of the hospital’s Legacy Wall. PHOTO BY ROGER RAÑADA
Dr. Fe’s dedication to children care stemmed when she lost four of her siblings who all passed away at their young age. The family tragedy pushed the young Fe, the sixth of eight siblings, towards the medical profession.
In 1933, she earned her medical degree at the UP Manila, graduating with top honors. She entered the Harvard Medical School in 1936. After a two-year research fellowship at Harvard’s Children’s hospital, she went on to earn a medical degree in bacteriology at Boston University in 1940.
To fulfill her dream of building a hospital dedicated to the care of children, the good doctor sold her home and took out a hefty loan to help fund the construction of a pediatric hospital in Quezon City. On November 27, 1957, on her 46th birthday, the Children Medical Center opened its doors to the public. In 2002, it was renamed FDMMC, in honor of its founder.
A multi-awarded pediatrician, Dr. Fe has been known for her humanitarian efforts working on rural communities to provide appropriate health care and medical interventions. She earned the title “Angel of Santo Tomas” when she helped care for the children of foreign soldiers detained at the internment camp of the University of Santo Tomas in 1941.
Among her accomplishments included innovating a makeshift incubator for use in places with no electricity – made from two laundry baskets of different sizes, with hot water bottles fitted into the space between them and oxygen tubes attached with a hood covering the contraption. She did pioneering works on infectious diseases like dengue fever. She pushed for stronger collaboration between hospitals and communities, doctors and the public, midwives and the medical community. She also authored the Textbook of Pediatrics, a fundamental medical textbook used in Philippine medical schools.
Paying it forward
To preserve the legacy of its founder, the hospital has revived the maternal and child health centers that Dr. Fe established in Binan, Cabuyao, Liliw, Mexico and Pinanood. They are also active in assisting the values education for Mangyan teachers and supporting the Bamboo Livelihood project in Oriental Mindoro.
Together with its dedicated leaders, doctors, nurses and healthcare specialists who dedicate themselves to the service of the community, the hospital also adopted the White Cross Orphanage, as well as providing medical and compassionate care for terminally ill children with cancer in Bahay Aruga. It has funded indigent patients, medical missions and research of pediatric residents.
With the joint efforts of Mount Grace and Fe del Mundo Medical Center, the hospital has transformed into a modern, revitalized community hospital with highly competent doctors, nurses and health care experts ready to render multi-specialty medical services to patients of all ages. The partnership revived competitiveness and rebuilt the hospital through the ongoing modernization program that include plans on systems and processes improvement, facility upgrade and medical services expansion.
An affiliate of United Laboratories, Inc., Mount Grace is a network of hospitals whose essential role is to facilitate patient access to medical services through its presence in key urban areas nationwide. It aims to contribute positively to the well-being of individuals and their families by continuously seeking ways to respond
Beyond serving the medical needs of the community, Fe del Mundo Medical Center fosters an environment conducive to health by educating the members of the community on health and lifestyle trends and providing relevant information on wellness.
“The Fe del Mundo Medical Center is continuing Dra. Fe’s legacy of excellence and compassionate social responsibility to marginalized sectors of the society,” concluded Bengzon.
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