USTH CEO Fr. Julius Paul Factora, OP
Understanding the plight of the UST Hospital
URGENT HOSPITAL REVIVAL
Dear Esteemed Colleagues and Friends,
I hope this message finds you in good health and high spirits. As proud alumni of the University of Santo Tomas, we share a decommitment to our beloved alma mater and its mission to provide quality healthcare.
It is with a sense of urgency that I write to you today. Years ago, our hospital had the distinction of being the premier hospital in the Philippines. However, due to various unpredictable issues, the status has significantly diminished, and it is now rated at the bottom of the pack as number 11 according to a recent poll.
Our newly built hospital, Pope St. John Paul II Hospital, stands as a testament to progress—a first-class facility gracing the UST campus. Its plush appearance is a source of pride for all of us. However, beneath the gleaming facade lie critical challenges that must and have to be addressed.
The Flaws: While the hospital’s exterior radiates excellence, we must acknowledge its imperfections which were handed down by the previous administration. Some flaws are apparent, but they are being rectified with the concerted effort of the new administrators. They have addressed these issues head-on, ensuring that our alma mater’s legacy remains untarnished.
The Missing Equipment: Regrettably, Pope St. John Paul II Hospital lacks essential medical equipment. Without these tools, it cannot function efficiently or provide the level of care our community deserves. As dedicated medical professionals, we understand the impact of well-equipped facilities on patient outcomes. Let us rally together to bridge this gap.
Staffing Issues: A most disturbing reality that we face is the lack of adequate training ground for our Interns and Residents. Our top graduates are opting to train in other hospitals due to a lower salary at our hospital but most importantly due to the lack of patients to learn from. This is also true about the nursing staff. Although the administrators have taken the necessary steps by raising the salaries of the Interns and Residents comparable to the other private hospitals, this will not be enough incentive to keep our graduates unless the patient census increases.
Our Call to Action:
Advocacy: We must advocate for the acquisition of necessary equipment. Our Foundation has prioritized this project for the next few years. Let us engage with hospital administrators, government agencies, and philanthropic organizations to secure funding and donations. We are also encouraging our colleagues, especially the Jubilarian classes to consider this project as one of their class legacies.
Collaboration: Reach out to fellow alumni, medical societies, and industry partners. Together, we can pool resources, share expertise, and create a roadmap for improvement.
Fundraising: Organize events, campaigns, and drives to raise funds specifically earmarked for equipment procurement. Every contribution counts.
Our Legacy: As Jubilarians, you carry the torch of excellence. Let us revive Pope St. John Paul II Hospital, transforming it into a beacon of healthcare innovation. Our commitment to service extends beyond our time as students—it defines our legacy.
In-hospital Missions: Started 2 years ago, this has made a significant impact not just in terms of providing urgently needed health care to the needy, but also enhancing the training program for the Clerks, Interns, and Residents necessary for their accreditation.
I invite you to join me in this noble endeavor. Let us reclaim our hospital’s premier status, ensuring that it serves our community with compassion, competence, and unwavering dedication. All donations can be facilitated through the USTMAAA Foundation which guarantees tax deductibility.
In the grand scheme of things, our primary aim is not only to resuscitate the hospital but also to enable it to stand on its own. After all, the other good things will follow; reclaiming the premier status of our hospital, increasing the patient census, enhancing the training program for our medical and nursing graduates, incentivizing them to stay, and lastly, enabling the private hospital to support the clinical division.
Thank you and we hope to see you during our 32nd USTMAAA Grand Reunion and Clinical Convention at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare, Rosemont, Illinois on June 18-22, 2025.
Yours in service,
Dionisio B. Yorro, Jr., MD, FACC
Executive Director and CME Director, USTMAAA
+1 (847)360-2368
USTMAAA-USTH Medical-Surgical Medical Mission Report 2024
USTMAAA-USTH Medical-Surgical Medical Mission Report 2023
USTMAAA in-house Medical Mission #2, January 18-20, 2024.
STATE of AFFAIRS of the USTH / USTH - CD
We will be celebrating Jubilarians again in 2025! We look forward to and anticipate the fun fare. We are thankful for what we have achieved as a Thomasian. However, as we look at our Alma Mater, we see a drastic decline.
I am not sure if everyone is aware that the glory days we had before for UST are gone! There is literally NO USTH CD as the inpatient base is now at about 25. The USTH has a crisis needing equipment updates. It went to a 6-patient census during Covid 19 and still had to maintain salaries and employees. It is in dire need of CPR!
The training programs are under threat of losing accreditation due to lack of patients and IM lost its residents. I was sad when l heard all of these. We need to “Make UST Great Again!” We are the oldest medical school in the Philippines. We do not want to go down in history as falling off and not keeping up with the competition and modern era. Let us all help in restoring USTH CD like it was or even better than what we remember from before.
Let us all help if we can to restore our Alma Mater to its old glory! Let us stay relevant. It is a gargantuan task to resuscitate the indigent program of USTH CD, but it can be done with everyone’s help. We need to do it quickly to avoid a permanent demise.
Our Alma Mater needs us. We have launched the Alumni Challenge which is our fundraising campaign for USTMAAA Foundation and hope our Philippine counterparts can do the same.
We need to do these resuscitation efforts within a 2–3-year time frame. We can dream big and do it fast like we are on steroids!
The Donation Process Form and process are available here.
Thank you for your time and support,
Maria Regina C. Flores, M.D.
President, USTMAAA Foundation
Tel.: +1 (407) 492-0287
Email: geraldura@aol.com
