About Lorma Medical Center
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History of Lorma | Administration | Accreditations | Historical Milestones
Lorma Medical Center has
been at the forefront of providing quality medical care since its
founding in 1934. From a small wooden clinic, the institution has
grown both in size and capabilities over the years. The hospital's
hallmark for the past seven decades has been one of service. The
patient has come first at Lorma, and no needy patients have ever been
refused care due to financial problems.
Through the years, the
hospital has gradually built up its services, employee skills,
equipment and medical staff. So that today, it offers complete
services at par with that found in other medical centers.
Those patients needing
treatment no longer have to travel to Manila for excellent medical
care.
The doctors and nurses
keep abreast of the latest advances in medical science by attending
scientific conferences, observing at other hospitals here and abroad,
and reading new books and journals in all branches of medicine. The
nursing service and other units of the hospital are also being
continually improved.
Lorma has an outreach
program that provides charity medical services to the outlying
barrios. The
LORMA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION, operational in 1986,
provides health care, income generating, educational and development
assistance to the rural communities of La Union. This program is
funded by the Lorma, foreign donors and by civic minded individuals
from the Ilocos Region.
The hospital is now a
modern 136-bed medical center with about 350 workers, an
average of about 3 workers for every patient. It IS accredited by the
Employees' Compensation Commission and the Philippine Medicare
Association and licensed for tertiary (the highest) level of services
by the Ministry of Health. The hospital is departmentalized containing
separate rooms and wards for surgical and medical cases. In 1970, it
was adjudged as the Most Outstanding in the Philippines in Community
Service.
Services covered include
Special and General Surgery, Neuro-surgery , Cancer treatment,
Obstetrics, Orthopedics and Rehabilitation Medicine, Children s
Diseases, Well-Baby Clinic, Family Planning, Blood, Heart and Lung
Diseases, (X-ray), Anesthesiology, EENT. Diseases, Psychiatry,
Respiratory Therapy, Dermatology, Neurology, Dentistry Family
Medicine.
Clinical services and
facilities include modem air-conditioned operating rooms for
abdominal, cancer, orthopedic, urology, and neurosurgery, plastic and
chest surgery, and operative gynecology and obstetrics. Lorma has a
modem Central Supply Unit wherein hospital equipment are sterilized.
Needles and syringes are all properly disposed to prevent cross
infections. It has several electrocardiographs, a Pulsar portable
Cardio-resuscitation system consisting of a defibrillator. Recent new
equipment purchases include 5 cardiac monitors, a volume ventilator,
and a very powerful electro-cautery machine for urinary and other
surgical procedures.
The hospital has acquired
in 1997 a powerful General Electric X-ray machine. This unit has an
image intensifier, television monitor, spot film device, a motorized
electric table and an automatic cassette changer. This 1000 MA unit is
the only one of its kind outside of Manila. It is able to perform the
most complicated of procedures. Also since it is so strong, the amount
of radiation dose is greatly lessened. Very special diagnostic
procedures such as angiograrns are now possible.
Lorma’s nursery staff is
on duty 24 hours a day. This department is also divided. Into a main
nursery, a premature nursery, a suspect nursery, and a nursery for
boarders. It has several modem electric incubators for premature
babies. There is a separate air-conditioned delivery room attached to
the OR department.
The laboratory has 5
full-time medical technologists and facilities for routine and special
examinations for blood, urine, stool and other specimens including
some highly sophisticated examinations that are not commonly
available. In June 1980, Lorma established the first pathology
department in the Ilocos Region. Now histopath specimens can be
examined immediately without the need to send them to Manila. The
pathologist, who visits the hospital, consults with the patient's
doctor to discuss difficult cases. Also, for the first time in the
area, PAP smear exams can be done on site to detect cervical cancer in
women…. Another major equipment acquired by the laboratory department
is a blood gas analyzer. This is useful in the treatment of serious
patients, and is unique in Northern Luzon. The hospital also does a
complete line of test for cancer, thyroid disorders and other
specialty exams not usually found in other hospitals.
Another new piece of
equipment at Lorma is the ULTRASOUND Radiology SCANNING MACHINE. This
unit is employed in diagnostic tests of the upper abdomen, the heart
and obstetric and gynecological cases. This unit is the only one in
the area fully capable of doing highly professional Echo-.cardiography
exams, including color studies. The hospital operates an EEG
unit. This is used to diagnose injuries or other impairments to the
brain. It is one of the few units outside of Manila. The hospital
recently acquired a GASTROINTESTINAL FIBERS.COPE (GASTROSCOPE) the newest
fiber-optic instrument for the diagnosis and treatment of most
diseases of the esophagus, stomach and small Intestine for in and
out-patients. The only unit available in the province and in the
Ilocos.
The hospital's INTENSIVE
CARE/CORONARY CARE UNITS at the ICU were brought on line several years ago. It
has the most modem, up-to-date treatment facilities for patients
suffering from heart and other serious illnesses. It contains modem
equipment such as a piped-in oxygen supply to assure a continuous flow
of pure oxygen, piped-in automatic suction units with regulators,
heart monitors, emergency crash cart and doctor call system to meet
respiratory and cardiac emergencies, a volume ventilator, a
defibrillator, 3 respirators, and a thermal draining unit. Highly
skilled and specially trained nurses are assigned at a central
station, with a view to all beds, are there to assist in the needs of
the patients. Recently installed is the HTS 220 Central
Station/Portable Telemetry Monitor -the most modern unit in evaluating
critically-ill patients.
Fully air-conditioned
with a sound-proof environment, the lCU composed of a - 2-bed Cardiac
Unit, a 3-bed stroke unit, a 4-bed ICU ward, and -bed Coronary Care
Unit. All beds
are the intensive-care type, each of which can be placed in 12
different positions depending upon the patient's medical requirement.
Since patients in this area require more rest and quiet atmosphere,
only one watcher is allowed for ward patients and two for private
rooms at the same time, and visiting hours have to be strictly
followed, which are 10- 11 :30 a.m. and 3 -5 p.m.
A modern Computerized
Tomography machine is located in the hospital. It produces excellent
images of the brain and other internal organs. It is very usefully to
the medical staff for diagnostic purposes. Patients come from areas as
far away as Laoag and Baguio.
The hospital's OPD
SURGICAL UNIT was opened a few years ago to provide a less expensive,
faster, and more convenient way to have minor surgeries. The unit is
air-conditioned and is fully equipped for such procedures.
Other hospital facilities
include a pharmacy, business office, an out-patient department which
provides a television set which we either show films or regular TV
program for patients and their companions while waiting for their
turn, separate emergency room, patient companions' kitchen, hospital
chapel, dietary department, library and medical records department, a
maintenance and transportation department, physical therapy,
Chaplaincy and Patient Relations.
