Photo: Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes (1st from left) and New Perspective Media Managing Director and Publisher of The Filipino Times Dr. Karen Remo (2nd from right) present the 2018 TFT Healthcare Professional of the Year award to Dr. Aileen Villanueva (2nd from left). With them is Dr. Villanueva’s spouse, Dr. Joey Villanueva
With the diversity evident in all industries within the UAE, you can always see that Filipinos are part of the backbone of the industry. However, there are Filipinos who are now leading the way towards ensuring that the UAE provides world class service in their respective fields. In the case of 2018 TFT Healthcare Professional of the Year Dr. Aileen Villanueva, she was tasked with the responsibility to lead New Medical Center Specialty Hospital’s (NMC) Mabuhay Clinic, a division that caters for the Filipino community in Abu Dhabi.
Almost 3 decades of excellence in healthcare
Dr. Villanueva began her career the Philippines through a residency training program in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Medical Center Muntinlupa (MCM). From thereon, she went into private practice to serving one of the biggest telecommunications company in the Philippines until she began her career anew in the UAE. She coursed through several hospitals, serving the residents of Abu Dhabi with not only medical knowledge but extending patience, understanding, and empathy with each of her patients.
“In my professional life as a medical practitioner, I’m not only concerned in accommodating sick people, I serve them because I want them to feel and teach them that being healthy is a personal commitment, treating them in a holistic approach. I see people’s trust in what I do that shows how committed I am to treat people better on their road to full recovery,” shares Villanueva.
Keeping the Filipinos’ health in great condition
In her daily practice, Dr. Villanueva makes it a point to inform and advise her patients on how they can avoid chronic diseases and development of complications in their health. “The biggest woe of Filipinos in UAE as far as health is concerned is the lack of awareness on chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol) and its prevention. Our team resolves these issues by keeping our patients well informed with their health status. We provide them with the right information in preventing chronic diseases to happen or if they have, we help them avoid the development of complications through lifestyle change, compliance with maintenance medication and encouraging them to have regular health checks,” explains Villanueva.
Dr. Villanueva had also experienced her fair share of challenges and failures, many of which she has gained wisdom and a better perspective of how to adapt to situations while maintaining composure. She chose to see the learning opportunities rather than dwell on mistakes: “I always see the goodness in everything and in everyone and because when I do that, I can always give myself and other people a chance to recover from any failure that we might encounter because without trusting and loving ourselves, it’s nearly impossible to show the same thing to other people.”
Medical Advice for Filipino Professionals
A true medical professional by heart, Dr. Villanueva continues to campaign to improve the health and lifestyle of Filipinos who work here in the UAE. “Filipinos are known for being dedicated and hard working at work but many doesn’t pay much attention to their health. In order to address these concerns, I believe that we must continue to have regular health awareness using media and social gatherings in cascading information, giving them access to personalized healthcare and as healthcare providers, must continue to keep our patients well informed about their health, applying effective treatment modalities and focus on preventive healthcare,” said Villanueva.
