AT THE HEIGHT of the coronavirus-19 pandemic, providing hope and fighting for the lives of a petrified population became a daunting challenge to medical frontliners.

Hundreds, even thousands, became instant heroes in white robes and selflessly chose to sacrifice themselves — just so that others may live.

It required insurmountable sacrifices, explained Dr. Anthony Cueto Leachon, an award-winning H.E.R.O. and Sin Tax Bill advocate. With this, he noted that it is high time that “we support our doctors and nurses and other frontliners who risk their lives to save their patients.”

Doc Leachon was recently awarded as “Outstanding Health Advocate” at the PICC by the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) led by Chief Atty. Persida Rueda during PAO’s 7th Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE)-Accredited National Convention of Public Attorneys.

Doc Leachon’s statement comes amid President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. recently pronouncement that his administration will address the disparity in salaries between nurses working in government hospitals and those working in the private sector.

The Chief Executive said this is among his administration’s goals in raising the profile and improving the working conditions of health workers whom he called heroes.

Marcos’ government will also address the uneven distribution of medical workers in the country and issues related to health facilities, benefits, security, and tenure.

The President has said that he aims to maintain the Philippines’ position as the “gold standard” in providing health care workers to hospitals and health care facilities across the globe.

Filipinos continue to seek better opportunities abroad in pursuit of higher pay and better working conditions, said Leachon whose son is also a doctor, as he explained the sacrifices of each health worker and frontliner specifically during the most trying and tragic episode of the pandemic when vaccines were unavailable and lives were lost in a blink.

Doc Leachon lauded the move of the President in recognizing the efforts of the country’s frontliners and health workers.

“Very few truly understand the sacrifices of medical workers and frontliners as they face dangers at work which oftentimes goes unappreciated. These medical workers have chosen to put their lives, their families, and their future on the line in order to serve the medical needs of the people. If our medical workers opted not to do it, there will be no one to help this country in one of its darkest days,” Doc Leachon recalled.

Narrating his own experience, Doc Leachon said as medical workers, they have to face life and death every single minute in order to do what is required of them.

“During those troublesome times, while most of the people stayed home to avoid the dangers of the outside world, medical workers and frontliners chose to stand out in the open even as the storm seemingly grew stronger and deadlier at the height of the pandemic. I even went to Cebu during those times. While most people hid inside their homes, we had to get up every day and choose to be away from the comforts of our own family, friends, and home to place ourselves in a danger zone in order to save the lives of many people,” Doc Leachon said.

It was not an easy task for Dr. Leachon. He said he was tired but needed to be tireless. He was scared but he stayed strong and brave in order to save patients from the fast-spreading coronavirus.

Doc Tony, as he is fondly by friends, family and countless souls whose lives he had touched, underscored that each frontliner is a hero.

Dr. Leachon is impeccably accomplished and highly respected in his field. His remarkable credentials back up his credibility as an outstanding health expert.

“Nurturing relationships with patients, fulfilling duties, and making personal sacrifices in the face of extreme physical limitations of movement due to COVID requires a lot of sacrifices and guts,” Doc Leachon said.

He revealed how most of them placed themselves in harm’s way to make sure that patients are not left alone to fend for themselves and still have the chance to survive the deadly disease.

Dr. Leachon is known for his advocacy and campaign for the greater good of all. He attained his Doctor of Medicine (M.D. Degree) in 1985 from the UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery. He was one of the PRC medical board topnotchers in June 1986 .

For several years, Doc Tony served as cardiologist and internist at the Manila Doctors Hospital. He was also the former Director of Information, Publications, and Public Affairs of the University of the Philippines- Manila (June 2012 to October 2014) , an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Thailand (2015) and Malaysia (2014), and a Fellow of the American College of Physicians (2014).

Some of his commendable accomplishments are being the Distinguished Fellow of the Philippine College of Physicians in 2006, one of the Outstanding Filipino Physicians (TOFP) in 2008 by DOH and Phil Jaycees, Outstanding Filipino Awardee in Medicine (TOFIL) in 2010 by the Philippine Jaycees Senate, receiver of Manila Doctors Hospital Exemplar Award in January 2015 for his topnotch service to the company, Ulirang Ama Awardee for Medicine for 2015, and Most Outstanding Alumnus in Community Service by the UST MAAA in America (July 2015).

Dr. Leachon also shared that he was part of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer for ten years, wherein he managed studies and introduced medicines. When his mother died of breast cancer, he was motivated to start his advocacy work.

“Through the help of the Philippine College of Physicians and other health advocates, I was able to write an executive order (595 – Health Education Reform Order or H.E.R.O.) signed by Former President Gloria Macapagal –Arroyo at that time in 2007.”

Doc Tony continued to face challenges when his younger sister Marita lost her battle against liver cirrhosis or Hepatitis C which she got after a blood transfusion 20 years ago before she got sick.

Out of depression, Leachon opted to leave the corporate world where he joined former Health Secretary Enrique Ona who asked him to supervise a DOH’s mission that is connected to stroke, heart attack, cancers, diabetes, and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) or non-communicable diseases.

This opened the gate for his advocacy to counter communicable diseases by proposing for a higher tax bill for tobacco citing the fact that five of out 10 killer diseases in the Philippines are related to smoking.

The Sin Tax bill was signed into law which provided for additional revenues for the government.

Considered one of today’s great influencers, Doc Leachon said he is humbled by the fact that people listen and follow him in his strong campaign to promote eating healthy food and following mandatory calorie counter and food labeling.

Doc Leachon said teaching is second nature to a doctor. He takes time to educate his patient on the causes of disease, how to heal and how to prevent it.

“Doctors are heroes actually because they’re able to save lives,” Doc Leachon stated.

The medical profession, Doc Leachon added, is a blessed profession as one is able to heal and earn as well.

A doctor, he stressed, can save a lot of people or help a lot of patients. But the best thing a doctor can do is to teach how to prevent diseases, and that is why he became a preventive health advocate.

The overwhelming desire to do good, save people’s live and give hope apparently runs in the family.

“My wife is a physician. Marge is a senior medical adviser of Unilever. I have three kids : Mikan,33, MBA, is an ex-provincial board member of Oriental Mindoro, his wife is Pia and they have gifted me with one beautiful angelic granddaughter, Simmy.

Vana, 30, and Jolo, 29, are both physicians,” Doc Tony beams.

Doc Tony suggests the following guidelines to maintain good health:

• Stop smoking. This is the single most important factor in improving the quality of your health.
• Avoid high-fat diet.
• Exercise daily for at least 30 minutes.
• Maintain ideal body weight.
• Stop drinking alcoholic beverages.
• Reduce stress by relaxation, exercise, meditation, and talking to your family or friends about your problems, etc.
• Take medications regularly.
• Take regular visits to the doctor.
• Sleep for at least eight hours a day.
• But most important of all –to experience a beautiful and healthy body, the internal medicine-cardiology doctor suggested that the most important thing for good health is to be happy. To be happy is to be healthy. By Camille P. Balagtas & PS Jun M. Sarmiento