Before a physician embarks on training to be a general surgeon, he must at least have some idea on the history of surgery in the Philippines.
Surgery in the Philippines
Antonio A. Limson, MD; Jose Luis J. Danguilan, MD; Romeo R. Gutierrez, MD; et al
Arch Surg. 1999;134(3):323-327. doi:10.1001/archsurg.134.3.323
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/fullarticle/390244
Excerpts:
Basically, residency training in general surgery is a 4- to 5-year program designed to develop in the trainee a satisfactory level of clinical maturity, surgical judgment, and technical skill. Basic areas of study include wound healing, hemostasis, oncology, shock, circulatory physiology, gastrointestinal physiology, surgical endocrinology, surgical nutrition, fluids and electrolytes, metabolic response to stress and injury, applied surgical anatomy, surgical pathology, surgical infections, and burns.
General surgical residents are provided opportunities for direct patient management experience with trainees in government and university-based hospitals given a wider latitude. Residents are required to have a working knowledge of congenital, degenerative, neoplastic, infectious, and other surgical diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and other abdominal organs, the head and neck, breast, and soft tissues. Residents are also expected to develop surgical expertise from rotations in the management of trauma and surgical intensive care, aside from subspecialty rotations in thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, neurosurgery, plastic and reconstructive surgery, burns, pediatric surgery, urology, gynecology, and orthopedic surgery.
Residents in the specialties need 1 or 2 years of general surgery residency training except for those who go to pediatric surgery and thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, who must be board-eligible in general surgery. In addition, residents are given ample opportunities for research work as well as opportunities to present research papers in special conferences, scientific paper contests, and surgical congresses.
In 1936, the Philippine College of Surgeons (PCS) was organized and in 1969, the Philippine Board of Surgery was formed. In 1975, both organizations started work through the joint committee on accreditation to establish a system of accrediting general surgery training. Similar accreditation procedures for other surgical specialties followed.
Philippine Society of General Surgeons
PSGS HISTORY
http://psgs.org.ph/index/page?id=about
The Philippine Society of General Surgeons, Inc. (PSGS) formally established in 1999 has a current membership of 1400 Fellows and continuously growing. The Society is composed of 10 chapters, through which many of the various programs are being implemented. Among its many activities include: the formulation of continuing surgical education programs to update its members of the latest surgical information; upgrading of the curriculum of General Surgery to make it relevant to the current times and at par with other programs in the Southeast Asian region; the monitoring of accredited GS Residency Training Programs nationwide and accreditation of new ones, where future GS specialists are being trained and developed ; the preparation of Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines to assist GS practitioners and other stakeholders; research of new surgical information and technology, and the conduct of various community outreach and socio-civic activities. All of these are geared towards the achievement of its vision of promoting the welfare of its members and providing compassionate and quality health care, responsive to the needs of the community.
ROJ@18nov14