Maria Katrina Paras

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The Good Life The Medical City

<p>In the fast-paced world we live in today, we all live busy lives where the most important thing of all is often taken for granted: our health. Even when we decide to diligently take charge of our health, it can seem to be such a daunting task. Luckily, we recently got the chance to learn more about how easy it can be. In the first episode of “<strong>The Good Life</strong>,” as seen on <strong>Metro Channel</strong>, host <strong>Edu Manzano</strong> takes us on a journey on how to have the good life, and this starts with our health.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" style="width:700px;display:block" width="700"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1768809936837The Medical City.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" width="700"/><span class="fr-inner">The Medical City</span></span></span></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" style="width:700px;display:block" width="700"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1768194927866The Medical City 2.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="700"/><span class="fr-inner">Dr. Stuart Bennett and Edu Manzano</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>Proactive Lifelong Partners</strong></div><p><strong>Dr. Stuart Bennett</strong>, Group CEO of The Medical City, advocates for The Medical City as not just a hospital but a proactive lifelong partner of patients. He enumerates the reasons why this is the case. “You know, normally people think of hospitals as places you go when you are sick, we’re trying to change that.”</p><p>He adds, “One of the beauties of the Philippines is the concept of the <strong>Annual Executive Checkup</strong>.” He encourages this because “if you know that somebody has a risk of a disease earlier on, like diabetes, for example, or high blood pressure, you can treat them with a single tablet, maybe just some lifestyle changes.” He emphasizes that these may be small changes, but they have a dramatic impact.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" style="width:700px;display:block" width="700"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1768195260804The Medical City 3.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" width="700"/><span class="fr-inner">The Wellness and Aesthetics Institute</span></span></span></div><div><strong><br/></strong></div><div><strong>The Wellness and Aesthetics Institute and the Digital Twin Project</strong></div><p>Dr. Bennett talks about the Wellness Institute and the significant care they put into the process they follow. “Every patient that comes here to the wellness center gets screened for all the diseases that are most common for Filipinos. And we use what we call risk algorithms.” It doesn’t end there, as they provide patients with a full program to follow.</p><p>Complementing this is the Digital Twin project, which makes it easy for patients to keep track of their medical data. Dr. Bennett explains, “Every single time you touch Medical City at Touch Point, all the data is captured as a single entity. So, you have an individual tailor-made program just for you.”</p><p>The Digital Twin Project will soon be launched at The Medical City.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" style="width:700px;display:block" width="700"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1768195799146The Medical City 4.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" width="700"/><span class="fr-inner">“Every single time you touch Medical City at Touch Point, all the data is captured as a single entity. So, you have an individual tailor-made program just for you.”</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>Value to the Patients and the 4-Hour ER Promise</strong></div><p>Dr. Bennett believes in bringing true value to the patients. “We don’t want to be the most expensive hospital in the Philippines. So, our view and our approach is how to make it as simple as possible and still deliver high-quality care.” This is achieved with doctors who really understand the science and have excellent clinical outcomes without transferring a high cost to the patient.</p><p>During the next part of the show, Edu and Dr. Bennett move to the Emergency Room to discuss the <strong>4-hour ER Promise</strong>. This is simply put: “Patients have to be processed within 4 hours, from the second you come in the door, [to disposition where] you are either going to a bed or discharged and going home.” The Medical City achieved this by addressing the challenges and issues of the ER, including the availability of beds, a more efficient ER layout, and having emergency medicine physicians immediately assess patients in triage for improved efficiency and accuracy.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" style="width:700px;display:block" width="700"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1768810478519The Medical City 5.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" width="700"/><span class="fr-inner">The 4-Hour ER Promise</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>JCI-Accredited Excellence</strong></div><p>Joint Commission International is an accreditation program that evaluates hospital institutions based on the quality of care they deliver to patients, continuous quality improvement, patient safety, and patient outcomes. Dr. Bennett proudly states, “Every 3 years we get tested, and if we’re successful at the end, we get this gold seal.” This positions The Medical City at the same level as international hospitals.</p><p>The JCI accreditation recognizes The Medical City as an Academic Medical Center, the highest level of accreditation awarded by JCI to hospitals that integrate top-tier clinical care with significant medical research and education. Furthermore, The Medical City also holds JCI’s Gold Seal of Approval for two of its clinical care programs, namely, the Heart Attack Program and the Primary Stroke Program. </p><p>Dr. Bennett confidently shares, “It’s really all about what we call door-to-needle time for heart attacks [and strokes] and their clinical outcomes.&quot;</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" style="width:700px;display:block" width="700"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1768810510857The Medical City 6.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" width="700"/><span class="fr-inner">The Medical City is JCI-Accredited</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>Giving the Gift of a New Life</strong></div><p>In the next segment, Edu converses with <strong>Dr. Vanessa de Villa </strong>about one of the most successful and transformative programs at The Medical City: the liver transplant. This groundbreaking program is a collaboration between Rizal Medical Center, a DOH hospital, and The Medical City, a private hospital. For the government, this is the first public-private partnership of its kind.</p><p>According to Dr. De Villa, “What moved it really is we’ve had the liver transplant program here for some years now, and I thought it’s about time.” She adds, “We decided also to partner with the government to make it more accessible. This is a project for the Filipinos by the Filipinos in the Philippines.”</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" style="width:700px;display:block" width="700"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769217879732IMG_9782.JPG" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" width="700"/><span class="fr-inner">The Medical City doctors performing a liver transplant surgery</span></span></span></div><p>This program led to a milestone of three pediatric liver transplants, less than a year after the partnership was launched. Dr. De Villa expounds, “We’ve been seeing a constant stream of candidates coming to us, both adults and pedia. The most common condition in children or babies is biliary atresia.” Having 29 successful liver transplants under her belt, Dr. De Villa attributes this to her team. “The secret was teamwork, seamless collaboration among the crew, communication, and a constant passion to do better each time. This is like an orchestra doing a transplant, and you come up with a song of new life.”</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>A Testimony of Mother and Son</strong></div><p>There is nothing a mother would not do for her child. <strong>Apple Meily</strong> shares a touching story of love: “Our son Alonzo Eli was only 1 year old when he was first diagnosed with a rare liver condition. In 2019, at the [Center for Liver Health and Transplantation], we first met Dr. Vanessa, who discussed that his condition might progress later to liver cirrhosis.”</p><p>Hoping against hope, the inevitable happened. She continues, “In March 2025, it was then that his primary pediatric doctor confirmed that his liver was already failing, leading to liver cirrhosis. Given this situation, we weigh our options. Liver transplant can be done internationally.” As she was the donor, she had great faith in the team of Dra. Vanessa De Villa. “We opted to do the transplant here in the Philippines. From pre-transplant workup, transplant surgery, and post-transplant of Eli and my recovery. The Medical City made us feel safe and well supported.”</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" style="width:700px;display:block" width="700"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769217796649IMG_9920.JPG" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" width="700"/><span class="fr-inner">Apple Meily and son Eli</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>The Precision of Robotic Surgery</strong></div><p>In the last segment, Edu is amazed by a wonderful technology. “Imagine being operated on with instruments guided by your surgeon’s hands but with the unbelievable precision of a machine. That’s not science fiction. That’s Robotic Surgery, right here at The Medical City.”</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" style="width:700px;display:block" width="700"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1768811288462The Medical City 9.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" width="700"/><span class="fr-inner">Robotic Surgery at The Medical City</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>He welcomes expert <strong>Dr. Kristine Hazel Katimbang-Lazaro</strong>, a renowned Obstetrician and Gynecologist, who walks us through this amazing leap in medical science. Dr. Kristine identifies the main advantage of robotic surgery: “It is a minimally invasive way of removing any part of pathology in the body. And this translates to faster recovery for our patients.”</p><p>To relieve any patient apprehension, Dr. Kristine assures that, “So when we do the robotic surgery, we dock the DaVinci robot into the trocars and actually, I’m the one controlling the robot in another console,e and every movement of my hand translates to that robot.” </p><p>Despite the steep medical investment, Dra. Kristine shares, “I am happy now that HMOs are covering robotic surgeries. Making it an option for taking out their uterus, fibroids, or myomas.” This is a victory for women&#x27;s health, made more accessible because The Medical City has created packages that make these state-of-the-art surgeries available to more women.</p><div><br/></div><p>After seeing all these medical marvels, Edu reiterates, “For me, that’s what The Medical City really stands for: expertise, innovation, and above all, deep compassion. It’s truly about adding life to your years.”</p><div> </div><div style="text-align:center"><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Freel%2F1208996244749736%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=560&amp;t=0" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br/></div><p>Follow The Medical City on Instagram at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/themedicalcity/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@themedicalcity</a> and on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheMedicalCity" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook</a>. Log on to their website at <a href="http://themedicalcity.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">themedicalcity.com</a></p>

<p>Join Metro Channel’s Edu Manzano as he discovers the many different ways to live a good, better life with The Medical City’s innovative offerings in healthcare and wellbeing</p>

Join Metro Channel’s Edu Manzano as he discovers the many different ways to live a good, better life with The Medical City’s innovative offerings in healthcare and wellbeing

The Good Life: A Journey to Wellness with Edu Manzano and The Medical City

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The Good Life: A Journey to Wellness with Edu Manzano and The Medical City

The Medical City

Published Jan 28, 2026 04:00 PM PHT

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Updated Jan 28, 2026 04:38 PM PHT

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Metro Channel The Good Life

Edu Manzano

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