AFP, Makati Med renew deal on improving military health facilities

PNA Photo

MANILA — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has extended its agreement with the Makati Medical Center Foundation (MMCF) regarding efforts to strengthen military hospitals, other treatment facilities and their personnel.

The signing of the memorandum of agreement (MOA) took place at the Silid Lapu-Lapu at the General Headquarters Building, Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Wednesday afternoon.

Lt. Col. Emmanuel Garcia, AFP public affairs office chief, said the pact aims to expand the organizational strengthening of military hospitals and AFP medical treatment facilities (MTF).

The agreement is a Public-Private Partnership program designed to strengthen the human resources of AFP hospitals and MTF through workshops, trainings, coaching, and mentoring sessions for military hospital management staff.

Signatories to the agreement were AFP chief-of-staff Gen. Rey Leonardo Guerrero and MMCF chair Manny V. Pangilinan.

The move is a renewal and expansion of the deal signed by the AFP and MMCF on June 19, 2013 which was later renewed on April 25, 2017.

It aims to strengthen the capabilities of 24 AFP hospitals and MTFs nationwide.

Garcia said the MMCF would provide free trainings for officers, doctors and staff of AFP MTFs; share its technical resources and open its hospital facilities for the learning exchange sessions.

The MMCF will also help develop strategic operational plans for policy reforms, systems development and human resource development for military MTFs.

A pool of trainers from the AFP Health Service Command and MTFs will echo the trainings, interventions and lessons learned to other hospital staff of the Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force and Philippine Navy.

Included in the program is the monitoring of results and evaluation of activities to further enhance the military’s health services. The partnership between the AFP and MMCF serves as an efficient and effective tool to better deliver quality health care services to soldiers, civilian employees and their dependents.