Isabela City, PHA team up to bridge gap in cardiac care in underserved communities
The Philippine Heart Association (PHA) launched the PHA Basilan Sub-Chapter, officially making four internal medicine specialists from the Basilan Medical Center (BMC) PHA associate members, hailed as “heart warriors”, who will promote and propagate the PHA advocacies, with hands-only CPR-Ready Barangay as flagship project.
Region IX/Zamboanga Peninsula (composed of the provinces of ZamBaSulTa) has 24 cardiologists who are all based in Zamboanga.
In photo from L: PHA National President Dr. Walid Amil, administering the Oathtaking ceremonies, with PHA ZamBaSulTa President Dr. Amelyn Ulanghutan; and the founding members of the PHA Basilan Sub-Chapter.
From L: Drs. Rizalito Pajarito, a general surgeon at BMC; Nurhana Hadjail Smael, past PHA ZamBaSulTa president Amilbahar Karim; W. Amil, J. Kanni, A. Tahil, E. Sanson, S. Amil, A. Ulanghutan and past PHA president Kristine Bantala Supnet.
A division within the PHA ZamBaSulTa Chapter, PHA Basilan is the first ever sub-chapter formed by the PHA National. It functions as the PHA’s advocacy arm to serve areas that don’t have heart doctors.
The dream goal of the PHA is to have “One Cardiologist for Every City.” The highlight of the day was the Mass Hands-only Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) held at the Claret College of Isabela City Covered Court, which is 10 minutes away from BMC. BMC is a level III government hospital with 125- to 500-bed capacity.
The very strong bayanihan spirit among the Zamboanga and Basilan resident lives on. The Provincial Government of Basilan gathered 600 CPR trainees and provided fast Zamboanga-Isabela-Zamboanga sea transfers via speedboat to the PHA Zamboanga doctors and Manila and Zamboanga Media.
The Provincial Government of Basilan-owned speedboat is actually a sea ambulance that transports patients from Basilan who are in need of intensive/intervention care to a Zamboanga medical facility.
The 600 hands-only CPR participants were composed of barangay health workers, students, teachers, firefighters and seniors.
Dr. Kristine Bantala Supnet, a past PHA ZamBaSulTa president, facilitated the training. She stressed that “prompt and proper hands-only CPR are crucial to revive the victim. Hands-only CPR is CPR without rescue breaths which is simple and easy to learn and remember”. Other PHA ZamBaSulTa members were on hand as instant EMTs during the return demo.
Dr. Supnet
PHA National President Dr. Walid Amil lauded Drs. Kanni, Tahil, Sanson and S. Amil for taking on the challenging role as “heart warriors” who will spread the PHA advocacies. He said, “This day is historic in the almost 75 years of existence of the PHA. As of today, heart disease is still the number one cause of mortality. That is why preventive cardiology is very important especially in communities where you don’t have heart doctors. We are establishing the PHA Sulu and Tawi Sub-Chapters hopefully in March and April, respectively."
Dr. Amil
“We are very lucky to have all the doctors (internal medicine doctors) from the different provinces, who are willing to help us in disseminating the activities of the PHA National,” PHA ZamBaSultan President Dr. Amelyn Ulanghutan said.
Dr. Ulanghutan
From being a bystander or kibitzer to lifesaver
Dr. Nur Khari Istarul, a rural health doctor and Basilan Board Member (Basilan, District 2), said “in Basilan, having a heart emergency is not just a medical condition – it is a race against time. In Basilan, CPR is not optional, it is necessary. Being CPR-ready empowers communities to respond immediately, it bridges the gap between cardiac arrest and definite care, transforming bystanders into first responders and communities into lifelines.”
Dr. Istarul
Cardiac arrest usually happens out of the hospital. The victim has to be resuscitated between 4 and 6 minutes to avoid irreversible brain damage.
Istarul added “this is why CPR is lifesaving. Proper knowledge of CPR is essential – not because we expect to use it, but because we hope we never have to. However, if the moment comes when CPR is needed, we must be ready to act, and to act correctly, because a life depends on it.”
Grassroots Level: CPR-ReadyBarangay
The PHA is shifting to a more realistic approach and goal, by starting off with the “CPR-Ready Barangay” program. “Kahit isang barangay lang, magsimula tayo doon. Malaking benefit ito sa community kasi mas tumataas ang chance na mabuhay ang pasyente kapag marunong mag-CPR ang kasama niya sa bahay,” Amil said.
Batting for institutionalization of BLS
Istarul also added “as a newbie policy maker, we also have a responsibility to act. One concrete step we can explore is the institutionalization of Basic Life Support Training for all senior high school students. If every graduating student is CPR trained, then every household will have at least one person who knows how to respond during a cardiac emergency.”
Acknowledging that CPR is only one part of the solution, he emphasized that prevention is better than cure, and that appropriate medication is always better than managing complications, and embracing heart healthy lifestyles and knowing your numbers and risks.
PHA ZamBaSulTa past president Dr. Amilbahar Karim who lectured about “Healthy Lifestyle” expounded on the tenets of the PHA 52100 code – 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily, not more than 2 mgs. of added salt daily; 1 hour of physical activity daily; 0 sugared beverages and 0 smoking and stress; and the benefits of Sneakers Friday (SF). According to Karim, 52100 and SF, are easy to recall, timeless and relevant to this day. SF promotes comfy walking which is free exercise even if you are in the workplace.
Dr. Karim
Ulanghutan who tackled “Hypertension & Stroke” underlined the value of keeping your blood pressure within normal range. “A normal BP reading is less than 120/80 to avoid heart disease, stroke and other major health issues. Sticking to a healthy diet (which includes avoiding fatty and salty food), exercise regimen and managing stress keeps hypertension at bay.”
In her Heart Attack & PHA PUSO MUNA lecture, Dr. Nurhaya Jadjail, a member of PHA ZamBaSulTa, emphasized the need to mind the warning signs of angina and to always prioritize your heart health, first and foremost. She also advised that consumption of high-sodium and trans-fat foods results in plaque buildup in the inner lining of the arteries leading to atherosclerosis.
Dr. Jadjail
She advised the audience to check out and use the Pinggang Pinoy as guide for food proportions.
