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Neonatology

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Neonatology

About the Neonatology Division

1983
Establishment of NICU

The Philippine Children’s Medical Center’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) was established in 1983, initially caring for critically ill outborn neonates. Back then, sick neonates were handled by Critical Care fellows, under the supervision of intensivist Dr. Herminia Cifra, and esteemed neonatologists Dr. Pura Isleta, Dr. Adela Gatmaitan, Dr. Emilio Hernandez, and Dr. Carina Cruz-Quimbo.

January 1990
Fellowship, Royal College of Physicians of Harvard

Thereafter, there was increasing deliveries of high-risk neonates as well as neonates born to high-risk mothers which prompted the formation of a separate training program in Neonatology on January 1990 under Dr. Gloria Baens-Ramirez (Neonatology Section Head 1990-2000).

August 17, 1993
Reorganization

As the years passed, several re-organizations were made aiming to improve our system and services. The Division of Newborn Services was established on August 17, 1993, making it separate and distinct from the Division of Pediatric Medicine and the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

December 20, 2007
Formation of Several Centers

On December 20, 2007, the Perinatology, Neonatology, and Pediatric Gynecology Center was formed.

2019
Independence of Neonatology

In 2019, Neonatology was made independent from Perinatology and Pediatric Gynecology hence the DIVISION OF NEONATOLOGY was created under the Medical Services Department. The Division is currently headed by Dr. Charito D. Corpuz with 10 other Neonatology consultants with plantilla and honorarium positions.

PCMC has been rendering expert service throughout the years and is now designated by the Department of Health as the National Referral Center for Neonatal Care. The Division continues to provide the highest level of neonatal care to critically ill newborns and strive to discover new knowledge, bring innovation and technology into the NICU, all to improve the quality and outcome of neonatal care.
pcmc-neonatology-service

What We Offer

Our Division works hand in hand with the Perinatology service who initially manages high-risk mothers and/or high-risk fetus. Antenatal counselling is performed by our service together with Perinatology and other subspecialists to prepare the parents as well as the medical team.
We cater to a wide variety of patients, including, but not limited to, critically ill neonates, premature babies, surgical neonates and those with congenital anomalies. These patients stay in our NICU, which is furnished with state-of-the-art technology and equipment. In addition, we have dedicated and highly skilled staff, which includes nurses, midwives and respiratory therapists apart from our Pediatric Residents and Neonatology Fellows. PCMC also boasts of competent subspecialists who aid in the management and follow up of our high-risk patients.
Parents, most especially mothers, are involved in the care of the neonates even while admitted in the NICU. We provide family-centered care both in the NICU and Newborn Service ward. Breastfeeding and kangaroo mother care are encouraged once the patient is stable. We ensure that every patient received holistic care while they are at the NICU up until they are sent home to their families.

Services

The Division of Neonatology renders its services at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Newborn Service Ward subdivided into medical and surgical units. As one of the referral pediatric hospitals in the country, we provide specialized care for newborns with complex diseases and access to a wide array of specialty services needed.

Services we offer include, but are not limited to:

Breastfeeding and Lactation Counseling and support
Newborn screening test
Expanded Newborn Screening and follow-up
Newborn Hearing Screening and intervention
Critical Congenital Heart Disease Screening and intervention
Ophthalmologic Screening (ROP) and intervention
Point-of-care testing
High-Risk Newborns’ Outpatient Follow-up clinic

Specialized capabilities we offer include, but are not limited to:

Antenatal counseling
Genetic counseling
Ventilatory support for extremely premature and critically ill neonates
Pre-operative, intraoperative and post-operative care
Neonatal general surgery
Neurosurgery
Congenital cardiac surgery
Specialized enteral and parenteral nutrition management
Home Ventilation program (in collaboration with Pulmonology service)
Developmental assessment and early intervention
Palliative Care
Bioethics

Sub-specialists who take part in caring for high-risk newborns:

Cardiology
Endocrinology
Gastroenterology and Nutrition
Genetics and Metabolism
Infectious Disease
Interventional Cardiology
Interventional Radiology
Nephrology
Neurology
Neurosurgery
Ophthalmology
Pediatric ENT-HNS
Pediatric Anesthesia
Pediatric Dentistry
Pediatric Dermatology
Pulmonology
Rehabilitation Medicine
Pediatric Surgery
General Surgery
Orthopedics
Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery
Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
Urology

Allied Services:

Clinical Pharmacists
Physical and Occupational Therapists
Radiology services
Respiratory Therapists

Facilities

Our state-of-the-art NICU can accommodate up to (7) inborn and (8) outborn neonates, with (3) beds reserved for surgical cases and (2) beds reserved for cases that needs isolation.
As a Level III NICU, we provide the highest level of care for the smallest and critically-ill babies. The medical team and its dedicated and competent support staff provide exceptional care to newborns with complex medical or surgical conditions starting from delivery. The NICU is fully equipped with incubators, ventilators, and monitoring equipment ideal for the care of each high-risk neonate. Bedside ultrasound machines are also available inside the unit to facilitate point-of-care diagnostics and full scans under the supervision of subspecialty consultants.
Intermediate Care Unit
01.

A. Intermediate Care Unit

The Newborn Service ward caters to babies requiring intermediate medical care. These babies have medical conditions requiring close monitoring, fluid hydration, metabolic correction or minimal respiratory support but not necessarily needing admission at the NICU. This can also be a step-down unit for NICU graduates transitioning to home care.
02.

B. Neo-Surgical Unit

This unit in the newborn service ward accommodates surgical neonates not requiring intensive care. Most common outborn cases admitted in the unit are imperforate anus, intestinal atresia and myelomeningoceles.
03.

C. Special Care Unit/ Kangaroo Mother Care Unit

This unit in the newborn service ward accommodates surgical neonates not requiring intensive care. Most common outborn cases admitted in the unit are imperforate anus, intestinal atresia and myelomeningoceles.
Our High-Risk Follow-up Clinic provides comprehensive medical care and follow-up for NICU graduates and high-risk newborns. We also provide early detection, timely intervention and promotion of health outcomes in vulnerable infants. Our clinic also offers comprehensive evaluation of the growth and development of the infant from the time of discharge until 36 months of age (3 years old). The Clinic, conducting both face-to-face consultations and telemedicine, is open every Tuesdays and Thursdays 1:00 to 4:00pm (appointment is encouraged; also see TeleMed link section below).
The PCMC Human Milk Bank established through the efforts of then Neonatology Section Head Dr. Gloria Baens-Ramirez, was the first human milk bank in the Philippines. Since its foundation in 1996, it aims to ensure that every infant in need will have access to safe human milk. The facility is located at the PCMC Main building 2/F at Ward 2A, and operates from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM Mondays to Fridays.

Training Program

The Neonatology Fellowship Training Program of the Philippine Children’s Medical Center is a 3-year training program designed to integrate excellent clinical training in the care of high-risk neonates and the comprehensive follow-up of NICU graduates. We provide trainees with a strong background in the academic field through evidence-based medicine and involvement in clinical research. Aside from that, the training program also aims to develop the trainees’ administrative and managerial capabilities to handle NICU concerns and demands. It has produced a total of 44 committed Neonatologists strategically placed geographically to strengthen and spread the mission, vision and values of the Division.

Trainees are under the supervision of board-certified Neonatologists who conduct teaching sessions in the form of bedside rounds, case conferences, written and oral examinations. A ratio of, at most, one (1) trainer to two (2) fellow trainees is maintained or at least 2 fellows per year level to make a maximum of six (6) trainees at any given year.

Currently, the program is duly accredited by the Philippine Society of Newborn Medicine Inc. as a Category III Training Program (2022-2026). There are currently six (6) fellows-in-training and the current Training Officer is Dr. Jean M. Zialcita.
PCMC Neonatology Training Program

Telmed Link

The COVID-19 pandemic has indeed limited the capability of most parents to bring their children for outpatient consultation. As part of our adaptation and our aim to continue to provide service to our patients, Telemedicine OPD was established every Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Appointment for consultation can be made by accessing our PCMC Neonatology Facebook page, then click the “Book now” tab and choose the date and time of consult. Once with appointment slot, a confirmation message will be sent via Facebook Messenger.

Medical Services

Contact Information

For further inquiries on the services we offer, contact us at:
Official Email Address:[email protected]
High-Risk Follow-Up Clinic: facebook.com/PCMCNeonatology