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Euden Valdez - Philstar.com
September 25, 2026 | 1:10pm
MANILA, Philippines — “Children are not small adults. They have different physiology.”
This, according to Dr. Stuart Bennett, president and group CEO of The Medical City (TMC), is the very reason why children demand specialized, immediate care during critical moments. It is also what TMC aims to address in its dedicated Pediatric Emergency Care Unit, formally launched last September 7.
“There's this misconception that children are small adults when it comes to healthcare—which is really not the case. Children are very different. Specifically, they have what we call a lower physiological threshold,” Dr. Bennett, who is an emergency medicine doctor himself, told Philstar.com in an exclusive interview at the sidelines of the launch.
He added that compared to adults, children don't have a strengthened immune system yet: “What we could normally brush off as adults can actually make them very, very sick.”
Dr. Stuart Bennett, president and group CEO of The Medical City, is also an emergency medicine doctor.
Philstar.com / Geraldine Santos
Recognizing this, TMC went on to build an integrated pedia section within the Emergency Department. Moreover, the pedia ER is already “manned” by pediatric doctors, right from the get go.
“It's not just about having a separate pediatric area, it's really having it manned by pediatric doctors. We have our doctor-led triage, which is very important because then within the first 5 to 10 minutes, if the child is sick, they can be admitted directly into the hospital. If they're really sick, they can go to the pediatric ICU,” Dr. Bennett explained.
A streamlined ER journey for all patients
During the formal launch, TMC revealed that their doctor-led triage might be a first in the country as the station is normally managed by nurses.
Implemented under the leadership of Dr. Bennett, this has enabled the hospital to introduce their FastER System. It promises to complete emergency response within four hours—from the moment a patient comes in the ER until he is advised for admission or discharge.
This is a big improvement from the historical average of eight to nine hours.
To help understand the patient’s journey at TMC, Philstar.com also spoke to Dr. Lourdes Jimenez, MD, director of the Department of Emergency Medicine.
She explained that it begins at triage, where physicians—pediatric doctors for children—immediately evaluate patients. Next, they conduct a comprehensive assessment, order medications, and request necessary diagnostics.
To minimize waiting time, TMC incorporates point-of-care testing—cutting laboratory result turnaround times from up to two hours down to just 15 minutes—complemented by conveniently adjacent X-ray and CT scan facilities.
Once diagnostic results are in, doctors reassess the patient and reach a decision to admit or discharge within three to hours as part of TMC’s 4-Hour Promise.
Needless to say, these practices are being implemented at the Pedia ER with a 10-bed capacity and a child-centered, safe environment. Its dedicated zones include a child protection unit, nebulization area, breastfeeding room, and hydration area among others. As simple as cute animal wallpapers can lighten the mood for the kids and the parents too.
These according to Dr. Bennett are part of the hospital’s commitment to make their services accessible to more patients.
“If you have any doubt, you should just come to the emergency department. If the child is not that sick, we will tell you within five to ten minutes. . . So you can relax, and probably, we’ll be able to send the child home,” he said.
“But if the child is really sick, then within the first five or ten minutes, they’ll be in the right place, and they’ll be safe,” Dr. Bennett concluded.
Present at the formal launch of the revamped Pediatric Emergency Care Unit are TMC officials and doctors with guest of honor Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto. Photo shows (from left) Kamia Alimario, head of Clinical Operations, Racquel Cagurangan, group chief of Strategic Accounts, Dr. Cristina Tuazon, Dr. Agnes Alarilla-Alba, Dr. Jacqueline Navarro, Dr. Stuart Bennet, president and Group CEO, Dr Ma. Lourdes Jimenez, director of Emergency Care Unit, Christopher Napoleon Delos Reyes, group chief officer, Strategic Partnerships, Ruben Kasala, executive vice president and CEO of TMC Ortigas, Dr. Jose Emmanuel Palo, clinical director for Intensive Care Unit, TMC Ortigas, Dr. Gregorio Martinez Jr., chief medical officer of TMC Ortigas, Dr. Elaine Dy, Marizon Joson, Ma. Wilna Rose Resano, and Maricon Aguilar.
Philstar.com / Geraldine Santos
In his speech, Dr. Ruben Kasala, TMC Ortigas’ executive vice president and CEO, said, “We are very proud to open our enhanced and redesigned pediatric emergency room. This in line with our commitment to make sure that our patients are served well in terms of clinical outcomes, patient experience, as well as the time that they are staying in the emergency room.”
He added, “I'm proud I'm very happy and I'm thankful to all the teams who worked on this.”
Also present at the launch was Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto, signifying the ongoing partnership between the public and private sectors.
“As someone who lives just down the road, our family has seen how The Medical City has really improved and upgraded itself in the last several years. So, we’re very happy to see these developments,” Mayor Sotto said.
“And of course, on the side of the local government unit, one of the things that we’re really trying to improve now is our healthcare provider network, and The Medical City is and will continue to be a big part of that,” he added.
For more information about The Medical City and its services, visit www.themedicalcity.com or follow them on Facebook.
Editor’s Note: This #BrandSpace story is created with The Medical City. It is produced by the Advertising Content Team that is independent from our Editorial Newsroom.
