When you walk into Manila Doctors Hospital (MDH), you will feel like you’re stepping into a mall lobby or a hotel.
It’s this transformation that MDH medical director Dr. Alberto Roxas has been constantly pushing-a facility that blends cutting-edge medicine with hotel-like comfort.
‘It is an integration of hospital care with the comfort, aesthetics and service quality of a hotel. It improves patient experience, gives MDH a competitive edge, enhances brand reputation, and influences the recovery and healing of patients,’ he shares to Philstar.com.
Roxas’ combined background as a surgeon and former dean of the UP College of Medicine gives him a unique vantage point.
For him, it has given different but complementary strengths. This unique lens combines the ‘precision and decisiveness of a surgeon with the vision and foundation of an academe.’
‘I was able to apply the learning from experiences of having been in clinical practice and the academe, to navigate the turbulent waters of crisis management, risk benefit analysis, strategic planning and interdisciplinary collaborations.’
Meanwhile, his academic experience has shaped his leadership style as a servant leader.
‘I listen to patients and doctors alike and together we shape MDH to address their needs,’ he adds.
From surgery to strategy
For Roxas, the transition from clinical practice to administration was a natural progression.
‘Clinical practice allows you to help colleagues in the same profession and to mentor residents in training, providing the opportunity to help individuals. On the other hand, being in administration lets you shape systems that improve care for entire populations,’ he shared.
After years of honing surgical skills to young doctors, he now applies the same decisiveness to hospital management.
‘Admin roles give you a seat at the table to influence hospital strategy, patient safety, training and best practices in healthcare delivery,’ he says, adding that it is not unusual that senior practicing surgeons become administrators in the latter part of their professional career.
‘Their experience makes them leaders and administrators.’
Investing in innovation and people
MDH has poured resources into world-class equipment and facilities, including the expansion of its Operating Room Complex, enhancement of its flagship Cardiovascular Center and Cancer Institute, and the introduction of the COMPASS Program.
‘MDH aims for excellent patient experience, all the time!’ Roxas says enthusiastically, adding that technology should not replace but rather enhance compassionate care.
MDH’s technological investments are for improving processes, delivering care faster and ensuring better clinical outcomes.
Beyond machines, the medical director is also keen on investing in doctors themselves.
From international affiliations and partnerships, to doctor engagement programs locally and abroad, MDH makes it a point to attract, retain and nurture top medical talent.
‘We want our doctors to grow not just technically, but also in compassionate care and interpersonal skills,’ he emphasized.
‘These programs foster collegiality and collaboration; to provide developmental programs to improve interpersonal skills, compassionate care aside from continuing medical education.’
Roxas is candid about the challenges and gaps in Philippine healthcare, such as a declining workforce, outdated infrastructure, overcrowded government hospitals, and disparities between urban and rural systems.
MDH, he notes, is committed to being part of the solution, as it works with the Manila City Health Department in the move toward universal healthcare.
A stronger MDH
Roxas is most excited about the further development of MDH’s flagship centers as well as strengthening international affiliations and continuously building MDH’s reputation as a hospital that blends innovation with compassion.
With Roxas at the helm, MDH continues to be a premier hospital in Manila-not just through cutting-edge facilities, but a leadership that places people at the center of progress.
Under Roxas’ guidance, he hopes that MDH become a model of holistic leadership in medicine. His legacy would be an institutionalized ‘Patient First, Always’ philosophy and future-proofed healthcare.
And like the ‘hotelization’ of hospitals, Roxas’ leadership integrates care and service quality in management.
Asked what he hopes will be his lasting legacy, Roxas reflects: ‘A legacy of healing hands focused on patient care, of shaping minds through research and teaching, and of reforms that institutionalize a culture of Compassion + Excellence.’