Colleagues recall Dr. Fe del Mundo’s ‘magic touch’

It was something that always left Dr. Fe del Mundo’s trainees in awe. Parents believed her touch, or mere presence, was enough to cure their children’s illnesses. “It all boils down to their faith in her," said one of her former trainees, Dr. Teresa de Leon, in an interview with GMA News Online during Del Mundo’s wake Sunday.

Dr. Regina Cailao, one of the iconic pediatrician’s nieces, said Del Mundo’s expertise quelled the fears of parents who came to have their children checked. “When they come here and they see Dr. Del Mundo, they’re already relieved," Cailao recounted. Considered the grand dame of Philippine pediatrics, Del Mundo died from heart attack at the age of 99 on Saturday. Her remains lie in state at the hospital she founded, the Dr. Fe del Mundo Medical Center (formerly the Children’s Memorial Hospital), on Banaue Avenue in Quezon City. ‘Mother’s instinct’ The way Del Mundo dealt with patients made a difference, Cailao said. Displayed near the entrance of her hospital, Del Mundo’s toy collections demonstrate the care that she gave her little patients. “She loved dolls because it was a way to attract children to the hospital," Cailao said. The clinic of the first female student of the Harvard Medical School even had slides and kiddie rocking chairs, added her niece. “She was very personal in her approach," said Cailao, also a pediatrician who trained under Del Mundo. “She saw a patient not as a patient but as part of a family." At one point in Del Mundo’s career, she would even go house to house to treat her patients, according to her. Cailao should know – as a kid, she trembled at her pediatrician-auntie’s visits. “Tago kami," she said in jest, recalling how Del Mundo would bring syringes and immunization fluids straight to her family’s residence. Cailao’s consolation was that she and her cousins would get little rewards, such as comics, afterward. Del Mundo, who never married, considered them and other children her kids. “She had a maternal instinct even though she never had her own family," Cailao said. On social networking site Twitter, where Del Mundo rose to become the Philippines’ fourth trending or most discussed topic over the weekend, former patients recounted their own experiences with her. Serving communities Outside the clinic, Del Mundo stood out all the more, said another trainee of hers, Dr. Luela Tecson. Working under the doctor’s apprenticeship from 1996 to 1999, Tecson said part of their training with Del Mundo was to serve in far-flung areas. Del Mundo, a Ramon Magsaysay awardee for public service in 1977, would lead her team in giving free medical services to indigent children. “Ang passion talaga niya, community-based pediatrics," De Leon added. De Leon explained that her mentor wanted to equip community members, such as housewives, with the knowledge and skills to deal with simple diseases. Dr. Analuz Fonte, one of Del Mundo’s earlier trainees, said the late doctor agreed to train them on the condition that they will serve in their respective home towns. “The city doesn’t need you," Navarro quoted Del Mundo as telling them. “You have to bring your skills to the provinces." Fonte now practices her profession in Canlubang, Laguna, her hometown. Issues close to her heart The Philippines’ first female national scientist, Del Mundo would have found herself at the forefront of several issues in pediatrics had she been alive and much stronger, Tecson said. Tecson explained that in particular, Del Mundo would have continued to fight to lower the incidences of respiratory diseases such as tuberculosis. Tuberculosis remains one of the deadliest curable diseases in the Philippines. Cailao said her aunt would have wanted improvements also in the way pediatricians perform their jobs. “I think she would like us not to be pediatricians who stay in our clinics, but pediatricians who go out and see what’s happening in a bigger aspect," she said. In any case, Cailao said her aunt – the regular Mass-goer on whom parents pinned their hopes – has now reaped her “greatest reward." That is, eternal life with God the Healer. — KBK, GMA News