Level III 2021 ISSUE 1
JANUARY TO MARCH 2022
The NKTI Resiliency: Emerging Strong Against Omicron Infection Prevention and Control Unit
Thousands of Filipinos struggled as the new year entered because of the newest COVID-19 variant. It was last January 2022 when the new variant of COVID-19, a highly transmissible variant, most commonly called ‘Omicron’ entered the Philippines. As the country struggled with its increasing numbers, hospitals, including the healthcare workers also got infected, and the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) was also not spared. As thousands of households were infected with COVID-19, the NKTI workers also struggled to manage the increasing work demands due to the influx of patients, with its decreasing workforce, wherein an average of 30 healthcare workers were being infected on a daily basis. The increased transmissibility and the ability of this variant to evade immunity conferred by past infection or vaccination (i.e., immune evasion) were factors seen that caused the exponential increase of COVID-19 infections to multiple countries, including the Philippines.
A total of 866 employees were infected with COVID-19 last January 2022 alone, or a total of 881 from January to March 2022, surpassing the total recorded cases of 628 confirmed cases of 2021. This year, a one-day record high of 102 cases were also noted, wherein the peak of the cases was observed during the first and second week of January 2022. Persons infected with the Omicron variant can present with symptoms similar to previous variants. The presence and severity of symptoms, including the need of hospitalization can be affected by COVID-19 vaccination status. And with the high vaccination rate (95%) of NKTI healthcare workers, those infected with COVID-19 were seen to be fully vaccinated with 92% or 808 cases (January to March 2022). This is consistent with the current data wherein majority of the infections in NKTI were mild cases and not needing hospitalization. Furthermore, booster vaccination was able to decrease the rate of reinfection among healthcare workers, wherein only 24% (150 cases) among the fully vaccinated (71%, 624 cases) employees got reinfected with the disease. Continuing the response of NKTI to the pandemic and with the surge of cases last January due to the Omicron variant, the
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management had to strategize and refocus the hospital’s essential services without compromising its workforce. Now, the Omicron variant remains to be the dominant strain in the Philippines. While there are still cases seen locally, there has been reported lower rates of COVID-19 infection with all the regions remaining at minimal risk classification. In NKTI, there have been no noted active cases of COVID-19 among its healthcare workers in the past weeks as the Institute is also steadily transitioning back its services, ensuring the public that it will continue to put the safety of its patients and healthcare workers as its top priority.
In This Issue:
NKTI: PQA AWARDEE NEW FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT SPOTLIGHT ON WILLIAM CORPUZ 2022 WORLD KIDNEY DAY ACTIVITIES EMPLOYEE RELATIONS INITIATIVES INTERNAL IMS AUDIT CYCLE
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NKTI: A High Performing Organization and PQA Level III Awardee Emily B. Mendigorin Strategy Management Division
The NKTI has achieved another milestone proving once again its commitment to performance excellence for achieving the Level III of the Philippine Quality Awards, the highest award in the country for organizational performance both in the public and private sector. The Institute has successfully demonstrated through tis practices and achievements a superior result linked to its robust management system as well as practices that serve as a role model for other organizations. The journey towards Mastery in Quality Management began seven (7) years ago when NKTI received Level II recognition on its first application. With the new breed of leaders and workforce collaborating with each other, and the guidance of top management, the Level III application of the NKTI was recognized with favorable results. Seven categories were used to assess the organizational performance of the NKTI, namely: Leadership, Strategy and Customers which represents the leadership triad. These categories are placed together to emphasize the importance of a leadership focus on strategy and customers. Senior leaders set the organizational direction and seek future opportunities for the organization. Workforce, Operations, and Results represent the results triad. The organizations workforce and key operational processes accomplish the work of the organization that yields overall performance results. All the action point toward Results -- a composite of product
The NKTI has been cited for its Corporate Social Strategies through its viable observance and adherence to governance systems such as the Code of Conduct for Ethical Behavior (RA 6713), Anti Red-tape Law (RA 9485) and to DBM and COA regulations. This effort of the institute gives emphasis on the drive of the management towards valuing stakeholders and strengthening its public accountability. and process outcomes, customer-focused outcomes, workforce-focused outcomes, leadership and governance outcomes, and financial and market outcomes. Fast forward to the feedback report in March 2022, the strengths of the Institute has been highlighted in the areas of Senior Leadership through its driven commitment on continuous improvement for organization wide quality programs such as the ISO certifications in the areas of Quality (ISO 9001:2015, Environmental Management and Occupational Health and Safety, Performance Governance (PGS) Compliance, Philippine Quality Award Level 2 in 2015, Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI), Plan-DOCheck-Act (PDCA Approach) and the implementation of the Strategy Map and BalancedScorecard. In terms of Workforce Engagement, the Institute has been aligned with the PQA core competency of Valuing Human Resource and Partners. This has been manifested through NKTI’s faithful compliance to Strategic Performance Management System (SPMS) - a mechanism that links employee performance with organizational performance
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NKTI levels up with a Level III Recognition for Mastery in Quality Management PRAISE Awards for employees with noteworthy and exemplary accomplishments and the institutionalization of the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) through Gender Equality Principle. What is next for the NKTI? As we embark on our journey towards Performance Excellence, we enjoin the NKTI community in raising the highest bar converting these opportunities presented by our assessors in the last PQA application. Borrowing a quote from Ralph Marston “Excellence is not a skill, it is an attitude.” We, at the NKTI, envisions organizational performance through strong commitment of senior leadership, strategy design and execution, listening to the voice of customers, engaging the human resource, and resultsbased attitude. Let’s head on to Level IV.
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NKTI Marks 39th Founding Anniversary with Blessing of New Facilities and Equipment Maria Marinela R. Tandoc Public Information Office
The National Kidney and Transplant Institute, celebrated its 39th year as the premier center for renal health and transplantation in the country with the theme: “NKTI@39: Transforming Challenges to Service Excellence”. True to the Institute’s core values of excellence, service with integrity and compassion, more than 70 employees who have been with the NKTI for the past 15 to 35 years, including retirees, was recognized for their years of service at NKTI. The program also paid tribute to the three (3) medical specialists the Institute recently lost—Dr. Genaro M. Yusi, who was a founding father of Urology at NKTI; Dr. Reynaldo C. Dela Cruz, former chairperson of NKTI Urology Division; and Dr. Juanito B. Billote, who was appointed Officer-in-Charge of the NKTI in 1998 and was also a former Chairman of the Institute's Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.
Among the special guests invited to deliver their inspirational messages for our service awardees are former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark A. Villar and former Food and Drug Administrator (FDA) Director Dr. Rolando Enrique Domingo. The invited speakers sent in their well wishes through recorded video messages (for photos of the celebration, see page 8). The day's celebrations concluded with a blessing of the hospital's new facilities: a Modular Dormitory Complex, COVID-19 Test Pavillion, and a Donning and
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Doffing Area which were donated to NKTI by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), respectively. Other newly completed projects of the NKTI included the Department of Medical Imaging and Therapeutic Radiology (DMITRI) Reception Area and the expanded OPD Area; and three new high-end equipment of the DMITRI such as the 3-Tesla Digital MRI, 1.5 Tesla Digital MRI, and the 512 Slice CT-Scan will be included in the Blessing as well.
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NKTI SPOTLIGHT The NKTI Spotlight showcases the stories and journey of NKTI leaders and employees to inspire and encourage others to develop a strong commitment to public service.
Inside the Famed NKTI Operating Theatre, there is William Corpuz, silent OpeRator medical and surgical technologies and adopt new techniques, knowledge, and skills for his profession. He was sent to different provinces in the country for the Medical and Surgical mission advocated by our Institution. In 2020, he was also awarded and recognized for the passion commitment and enduring dedicated service in the time of COVID-19 given by NKTI's Nursing director, Dr. Gerial.
Mr. William A. Corpuz, has been with the National Kidney and Transplant Institute for more than 18 years. He is currently assigned as one of the Operating Room Complex's Head Nurses. He is also a NOMELEC officer of the peri-Operative Registered Nurses Association of the Philippines (ORNAP).
William's journey in NKTI began in June 2002 as a student in the Basic Skills Training (BST) under the Nursing Services Department. While on training, he saw firsthand how nursing leaders devoted their time sharing their abilities, skills, and knowledge, even going so far as to spend extra time instructing students, colleagues, and coworkers.
He joined as an active regular member of different nursing associations here in the Philippines, such as the Urologic Nurses Association of the Philippines (URONAP) founded by Dr. Nerissa M. Gerial; NKTI Deputy Executive Director for Nursing Services.
After completing his BST he eventually applied as a regular Nurse employee. After a series of examinations and interviews, all of his hard work and prayers were rewarded. He says that he is proud to say that he was mentored by the best nursing leaders at NKTI and for these opportunities, he is incredibly grateful.
William became active in various nursing organizations to be able to learn and update himself on the current trends in
While he started out as a ward nurse, William was eventually transferred to the Operating Room in 2003.
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As the years passed, I saw that the Nursing profession has evolved into one that was universally respected and admired. Being an Operating Room Nurse requires specific knowledge, talent, skills, a well-developed code of ethics, and the application of the scientific approach. These abilities are not acquired overnight. It takes skills and determination to be the best in your job. For me, it is a worthwhile journey to become an OR nurse. He was officially appointed as Head Nurse of the OR Complex last year. One of the biggest challenges he faced as a leader is the proper disposal of obsolete machines and equipment as well as the purchasing of new highend ones. Nursing is more than just a fulltime job. It is about working as a team to take care of patients, treating them with dignity, kindness, respect, and compassion. It is about loving what you do without complaining. Nursing is not for everyone. One must have a strong heart and true compassion for others in this field. He says he chose nursing because he wants to make a positive impact on peoples’ lives. For William, knowing that he can be of service to someone and their family in a time of need is a truly rewarding experience.
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NKTI Celebrates World Kidney Day 2022 Dr. Krystal Cervantes Division of Adult Nephrology
The theme of this year’s World Kidney Day (WKD) is “Kidney Health for All”. The theme focused on empowering patient to be proactive in knowing their disease and encouraging them to adopt means towards better kidney care. Parallel to the said theme, the Division of Adult Nephrology also conducted five forums which catered to different sets of patients in the Institute. The lectures and forums focused on enhancing knowledge on kidney disease and their specific conditions. Kidney care discussions were tailored for a specific set of audience (i.e. Chronic Kidney disease (CKD) not on renal replacement therapy, hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients, kidney transplant recipient and donors and those without kidney disease).
Last March 7, the WKD 2022 exhibit opened at the atrium lobby. A forum for our CKD patients on HD followed soon after. PD patients were also given recognition last March with the awarding of the longest living PD patient and longest PD peritonitis-free patient. There was also a gathering of kidney transplant recipients on March 9 wherein specific kidney care issues and reminders on how to maintain adequate immunosuppression and good graft function were shared among the group. A short program during the actual WKD launched the new editions of institution manuals such as the Glomerulonephritis Handbook, Contrast-induced Acute kidney injury and handbooks for our kidney transplant recipients and donors. One week before the
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celebration, a Digital Art contest was also launched as well as a Tiktok challenge for the Institute’s kidney disease patients. "Tiktokers" were asked to create a 1-minute video showcasing how they live well with kidney disease. The Committee has received several entries for both contests and announced its winners during the said celebration. During the last day, free laboratory tests were conducted for kidney donors. In the afternoon, some of our Adult Nephrology fellows went to the Philippine Statistics Authority for a lay forum about the function of the kidneys, kidney disease and tips on kidney care. After the forum, some of the attendees volunteered and participated in a scheduled blood donation drive.
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EMPLOYEE RELATIONS CORNER The Employee Relations Corner features issues on and information about employee welfare, benefits, satisfaction, engagement, performance and other concerns.
Employee Relations Section's Special Services Amado A. Saul,
Jr. Human Resource Management Division
The HRMD - Employee Relations Section (ERS) provided various special services for NKTI Employees. Ms. Nimia R. Parale was tasked by the HRMD Chief, Atty. Jing-Jing S. Romero to coordinate with other government agencies like Philippine Statistical Authority (PSA), Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and Civil Service Commission (CSC) for these Special Services, while the ERS and other HR Staff facilitated and assisted our officers and employees in the conduct of these activities. National ID System (PhilSys) Step 2 Registration On October 12, 2020 we requested for the on-site registration of the Philsys and on December 16-20, 2022, the Employee Relation Section facilitated a National ID registration (Step 2) for NKTI Employees and their relatives. Thirteen (13) staff of the Philippine Statistical Authority under the leadership of Dr. Jhay Calicdan conducted the registration process at the Institute’s Multi-purpose Gymnasium. After a five (5) day registration, a total of 2,297 employees and relatives were registered. PRC ID Renewal for NKTI Professionals PRC renewal is a tiresome affair
especially during this time of pandemic. Our Executive Director Rose Marie O. RoseteLiquete, requested Commissioner Jose Y. Cueto Jr. to assist our Healthcare Professionals in the renewal of their licenses. On December 2021, a team from PRC and NKTI HRMD held their first meeting and on January 2022, we started our online registration thru a special link, the TK Professionals. The transaction and payment receipt of the professionals shall be submitted to ERS for uploading to our PRC contact person to expedite the renewal process. On March 08, 2022, a delegation from Professional Regulation Commission headed by Commissioner Jose Y. Cueto Jr. turned-over a total of fifty-three (53) PRC ID’s of NKTI Healthcare Professional to Executive Director Rose Marie O. Rosete – Liquete in a simple ceremony at the Executive Conference Room. Agency-Request Civil Service Exam The CSC granted the Institute’s request to conduct a special Paper-and-Pen Test to 117 employees both Contract of Service (COS) and permanent employees. The ERS together with Mr. Ruel R. Jalos Jr. facilitated the registration of
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NKTI Executive Director Dr. Rose Marie Liquete and PRC Commissioner Jose Cueto show a sample PRC license card that was turned over to NKTI by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). employees as well as the coordination and submission of the examination documents to CSC-NCR. The examination was held last March 13, 2022 to various schools within NCR. The Institute also sent a Health Monitoring Team to Quezon City High School. The team was composed of Mr. Patrick Dioso (Nursing), Mr. Rolando Solitario (Nursing), Mr. Ruel Jalor Jr. (HRMD) and Mr. Amado. A. Saul Jr. (HRMD) as the Team Leader. On March 23, 2022, the Executive Director sent another request for examination of 240 employees because the CSC – NCR announced that they will only facilitate agency-request tests this year.
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A Paradigm Shift in the Internal IMS Audit Joel Majuk, RRT Chair, Internal IMS Audit Committee DMITRI
The COVID-19 pandemic surges certainly heightened the complexity level of Internal IMS Audit here at the NKTI. From the usual face to face, the pre-audit meeting as well as the conduct of the three-day internal IMS audit cycle were all converted into a full virtual audit cycle which caused the Institute a paradigm shift in its audit process. Last February 22 to 24, 2022, the hospital paved the way for the 2nd cycle Internal IMS Audit. With a series of pre-audit meetings conducted by the 2022 Internal IMS Audit Committee to discuss the audit calendar, audit plan and audit team compositions. A hybrid (a mix of virtual and face to face) audit was finally approved by the committee and a focused audit was conducted. Part of prepping up audit observers and refresh the seasoned internal IMS Auditors, an ISO Awareness Training was conducted on February 11 and 18, 2022 and was facilitated by the TUV Rheinland Philippines, Inc.. This is an initiative of the management to further capacitate up and coming internal IMS Auditors of the Institute. Moving forward to the actual internal IMS audit process, two (2) audit teams per standard were established and became part of the Internal IMS Auditors for Quality Management System, Environmental Management System and Occupational Health and Safety Management System. The purpose of the audit is to monitor compliance and implementation of policies based on the opportunities for improvement (OFI) and/or non-
The Institute's Internal IMS Audit Committee is committed to covering critical issues and discovering improvement efforts of the hospital. conformance/s detected by IMS Internal and External Auditors during previous audit activities and the improvements / developments covering the three standards undertaken by process owners; Legal and statutory compliance of the Institute and the relevant obligations of each offices; Implementation and monitoring of new processes implemented brought about by the pandemic (e.g telemedicine, swabbing protocol, hospital infection, etc.) control measures on areas with high incidence of infection; Monitoring of emergency preparedness activities per area; Institutional activities or programs aligned with the three standards; addressing internal and external factors from various sources such as patient complaints, policy and implementation gaps; and review of actual processes visa-vis the written adopted procedures.
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At the end of the three (3) day audit, there were thirty two (32) positive observations noted, fifty (50) opportunities for improvement and nine (9) minor non-conformances. The results of the three (3) day audit were discussed during the Management Review which was held virtually on March 24, 2022. With a forward-looking outlook, the Internal IMS Audit Committee is very much committed into covering critical issues and discovering improvement efforts of the hospital. From an Internal IMS Audit perspective, this is to continuously find ways on how to improve the remote auditing as well as manage a team with a limited face to face interaction without compromising the quality of the audit report that is beneficial to the overall growth of the organization.
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Last February 28, NKTI Celebrated its 39th Founding Anniversary with the theme: “NKTI@39: Transforming Challenges to Service Excellence”. Here are some photos during the special occasion.
National Kidney and Transplant Institute
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