A burning passion comes to the City of Love

By Menchu Aquino Sarmiento

From Sept. 18 to 19, 2025, Region 6 health care workers will gather in Iloilo City for the 11th Burn Care and Rehabilitation Conference at Diversion 21 Hotel in Mandurriao.

The event includes lectures and hands-on workshops aimed at strengthening burn care knowledge and skills across the region.

Dr. Dorothy Dy Ching Bing-Agsaoay, chair of the UP–Philippine General Hospital (PGH) Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, has spearheaded this conference since 2012.

During the pandemic, the conference was held virtually to continue its mission of outreach and education.

Those interested in attending may email burncarerehab.pfpp@gmail.com for more information.

Dr. Agsaoay is passionate about educating more colleagues nationwide, as burn injuries remain common in the Philippines.

These injuries result from causes such as unsafe use of kerosene or kindling in rural households, faulty electrical wiring like in the 1996 Ozone Disco fire, welding-related accidents such as the 2015 Kentex slipper factory fire, urban slum fires, unregulated construction sites, and New Year firecracker mishaps.

The annual conference is held through the auspices of Physicians for Peace–Philippines, a civil society organization whose mission is “Teach one, heal many.”

Dr. Agsaoay, a trustee of the group, said the conference has been brought to different cities in the past decade, including Baguio, Naga, Cebu, and Davao.

This year, Panay and Western Visayas will benefit from updated training in burn rehabilitation.

New learnings from the conference may be especially useful to staff at the region’s BUCAS (Bagong Urgent Care and Ambulatory Services) centers, which handle minor emergencies like animal bites.

Iloilo hosts the only mall-based BUCAS center, located in Robinsons Iloilo City.

According to Department of Health (DOH)–Region 6 Director Dr. Adriano Suba-an, BUCAS centers offer “sundown services” that aim to bridge the gap between barangay health stations and tertiary hospitals.

The Philippines has yet to meet its goal of establishing one Barangay Health Station per barangay nationwide.

The World Health Organization recommends a doctor-to-population ratio of 10 per 10,000, but the Philippine average is five doctors per 10,000, with 12 regions falling below that mark.

The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has the lowest ratio, at only 0.4 doctors per 10,000 population.

At the UP PGH Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Dr. Agsaoay leads the first subacute burn rehabilitation unit in the country.

This specialized ward provides intensive care for burn survivors transitioning from acute hospital care to recovery.

The unit addresses complications of burn wound healing, including pain, muscular contractures, and disfiguring scars that hinder patients’ ability to function and reintegrate into society.

Dr. Agsaoay hopes similar burn rehabilitation units will be established in Department of Health and other public hospitals nationwide.

Registration fees from the conference will help fund rehabilitation needs of burn survivors, both during hospitalization and as outpatients.

These include scar management support, such as silicone gel and compression garments, as well as psychosocial services for patients and their families.

Conference proceeds also support the continuation of burn care and rehabilitation conferences in other regions.

The author is a trustee of Physicians for Peace–Philippines.