Tondo Med and Navotas City Hospital Team Up for First-Ever SDN Clinical Audit
Collaboration took center stage the morning of March 27, 2026 as Tondo Medical Center (TMC) and Navotas City Hospital (NavCH) convened for the 1st Service Delivery Network (SDN) Clinical Audit. The high-level meeting, held in the morning at the NavCH Multimedia Auditorium, marked a significant step forward in streamlining patient care and referral pathways between the two North Manila institutions.
A Unified Front for Patient Care
Adding a fresh dynamic to the proceedings, the conference was moderated by the newly appointed ER Head, Dr. Narcisso Fontanilla from the Department of Surgery. Despite this being his first SDN meeting, Dr. Fontanilla navigated the technical and logistical discussions, facilitating a dialogue that balanced clinical necessity with operational reality. NavCH Medical Director Dr. Spica Acoba opened the session by emphasizing that a seamless Service Delivery Network is the backbone of efficient patient care between Navotas and Tondo. She challenged the multidisciplinary teams to use the audit as a bridge to close gaps in communication, ensuring no patient is left behind during a transfer.The audit was a true multidisciplinary effort, bringing together the medical, nursing, it staff of both institutions.
Leading the TMC delegation were Medical Center Chief Dr. Maria Isabelita Estrella and SDN Coordinator Dr. Jess Maniago. Their presence underscored the importance of the SDN framework, which aims to ensure that patients moving between primary and tertiary care experience a seamless transition without delays in treatment or data loss. Dr. Jess Maniago presented a detailed breakdown of the 2025 SDN statistics, highlighting a significant increase in successful patient transfers and streamlined coordination between the two facilities. He emphasized the data-driven improvements in referral response times, showing how the network has matured over the past year to better serve the community.Navotas City Hospital and that the transfers done were already filtered for tertiary care management. The commitment from Navotas City Hospital was equally evident. In a show of institutional solidarity, the chairs of the medical department, with the nursing and MIS were in attendance.
The discussions centered on the clinical outcomes and reviewing shared cases from October 2025 until February of this year and best practices were identified. Evaluation of how the IT systems can better sync for real-time patient updates was also tackled and Tondo Medical Center group ensured specialized services at TMC are readily accessible to Navotas residents. Wrapping up the audit conference, TMC Medical Center Chief Dr. Maria Isabelita Estrella shared critical updates on the hospital’s evolving role and the growing "family" bond between the two institutions. She highlighted that while referrals are increasing, they are becoming higher in quality, with TMC now receiving more appropriate tertiary cases rather than primary ones. However, she raised a vital point regarding "self-conductions," warning that uncoordinated transfers can dangerously delay patient management. She also revealed that thru the merits of Congressman Toby Tiangco, Tondo Medical Center is preparing for a name change to "Northern NCR Medical Center" to better reflect its expanding reach. Her closing message was clear: as the facilities grow, the focus must remain on tight coordination to ensure every patient gets the right care at the right time.
