THE UST Hospital has mended ties with the UST Medical Alumni Association in America (USTMAAA), which helped the teaching hospital recover from the pandemic rut after years of drifting apart.
In a video presentation to the US-based medical alumni, UST Hospital CEO Fr. Julius Factora, O.P. recalled reaching out to the USTMAAA during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the hospital faced significant challenges financially and in terms of manpower.
This reconciliation occurred against the backdrop of what Factora described as an “unexplained distance” between the teaching hospital and the alumni group.
“People would say that USTMAAA has been a constant partner of the UST Hospital, but the turn of events in the recent past sort of paved the way for the hospital and the association to drift apart,” he said in an Aug. 17 video shown to the board of USTMAAA.
Factora recalled the severe strain UST Hospital faced during the pandemic, including equipment shortages, dwindling patient numbers, staff departures, and the challenges involved in the construction of the St. John Paul II Building.
The pandemic had forced the UST Hospital to announce a lay off of “non-crucial” personnel after suffering heavy financial losses. However, the move was called off by higher Dominican officials, saying it was still subject to review by the Board of Trustees.
“Given the very challenging times that we face and the difficulties that we have to surmount…we realized that we needed to reach out to USTMAA and sort of break the barrier,” Factora said.
“Early on, it was our aim to bridge the gap and tear down the walls between us,” he added. “It was a very humbling experience, but what made it bearable was the way that the association accepted us with open arms. There were no questions. There were no conditions.”
In his video, Factora did not specify the reasons behind the strained relationship between the hospital administration and the alumni group.
Medicine alumni had clashed over a plan to build a 17-story hospital tower, which was abrogated but led to the resignations of top UST officials way back in 2007.
Factora said the reconnection in 2020 signified the beginning of UST Hospital’s renewed collaboration with USTMAAA, which he believed would benefit the teaching hospital’s trainees and patients.
“Us working together is a manifestation that consistent collaborative efforts between the hospital and USTMAAA will ultimately benefit our trainees and improve the number of our indigent patients,” he said.
Factora, a registered nurse and canon lawyer tapped to lead the teaching hospital during the pandemic, said the US-based medical alumni have been subsidizing fees of patients undergoing various medical procedures, such as in obstetrics and gynecology and pediatrics.
The alumni group has also donated funds to support the hospital’s equipment acquisitions, research efforts, and in-house medical and surgical missions.
“I think one of our greatest achievements is our renewed ties with USTMAAA,” the hospital CEO said. “There were so many success side stories because of this.”
“With them, we are able to once again assert that UST Hospital is indeed the premier teaching hospital in the region.” with reports from Sydney Venice V. Berba
