OMMC Stoma Clinic for the Manilans

Press Release: OMMC Stoma Clinic for the Manilans

October 11, 2002

The Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center (OMMC) started operating a stoma clinic last October 7, 2002, with a projected regular schedule of every Monday, 1- 4 pm, at the OMMC Outpatient Department. The stoma clinic will cater to OMMC patients and indigent Manilans with stomas.

What is a stoma? It is an opening created by a surgeon on the surface of the human body using part of a hollow organ like the gastrointestinal tract, urinary tract, and respiratory tract. Common examples of stomas include a colostomy (originating from the large intestines discharging feces - most common), ileostomy (from the small intestine), ileal conduit (discharging urine), and tracheal stoma. Stomas are created to allow egress and/or ingress of substances into/from the hollow organs as part of a life-saving/life-maintaining procedure. The most common conditions leading to stoma creation are cancers, trauma, inflammatory diseases, and congenital disorders.

How common are stomas being created in the Philippines? There are NO reliable statistics at the moment. OMMC Department of Surgery is in the process of creating a registry. Estimate is about of 3 colostomies and 1 ileostomy per month in every tertiary local government hospital (about 100 in the whole country).

Patients with stomas are confronted with a lot of biopsychosocial problems, starting with the disease itself that forces the surgeon to create a stoma to the altered body image as a result of the stoma on the abdominal wall, the inconvenience of cleaning the stoma, and the financial burden of securing appliances for the stoma. Thus, all patients with stomas need all forms of rehabilitation.

The goal of the OMMC Stoma Clinic is to provide quality, comprehensive and holistic specialized care to patients with stomas.

As to specific functions, in terms of service, it will provide professional services in the care of stomas and rehabilitation services to patients with stomas. It will offer a comprehensive stoma patient care program which consists of 1)  preoperative and postoperative counseling; 2)  proper construction of stoma; 3)  stoma rehabilitation clinic; 4)  enterostomal therapist; and 5)  ostomy association. It will also provide continuing professional educational program to all concerned staff and conduct researches with the aim of improving services to patients with stoma.

The OMMC Stoma Clinic will be manned by general (abdominal) surgeons, nurses, health care givers and patient volunteers.

Prior to the opening of the OMMC Stoma Clinic, the staff who will man the clinic, underwent training first from the Chairman of the Department of Surgery of OMMC, who, in 1979, when he was still a surgical resident in the Philippine General Hospital, pioneered the establishment of stoma clinic, enterostomal therapists (nurses specializing in the care of stoma patients) and stoma support group (the Philippine Stoma Association) in the country. The staff also attended a workshop on how to establish a stoma clinic sponsored by the Philippine Cancer Society, Department of Health, and the Philippine College of Colorectal Surgery last September 28, 2002. The Philippine Cancer Society has donated about 10 cartoons of stoma appliances to be given to indigent OMMC patients and Manilans with stomas.

The Chairman has created a website (http://stoma_mgt_phil.tripod.com) to serve not only as a learning resource for Filipino health care professionals involved in stoma surgery and stoma patients but also as a repository of information on stoma management in the Philippines. The website was created in time for the 4th Asian Ostomy Association Conference which will be held from October 23 to 26, 2002 at the Century Park Hotel, Ermita, Manila.

For more information on OMMC Stoma Clinic, please call Tel. No. 524-60-61 and ask for Dr. Nolim’t Raquel or Dr. Alex Deveza.
[ First posted on 10/15/2002 by Manuel Viloria ]