Philippine College of Radiology

The Philippine College of Radiology is an organization of Filipino Radiologists organized to upgrade the practice of the science of Radiology in the country. It is one of the eight specialty organizations recognized by the Philippine Medical Association.
 

The Philippine College of Radiology was first organized in 1948 by a group of seven Radiologists, Drs Paterno Chikiamco, Daniel Ledesma Jr., Ramon Paterno, Paulino Garcia, Carloss, Marquez, Hilario Zialcita, and Carlos Vergel de Dios, (called the “Magnificent Seven”) who called the group the Philippine Radiological Society. They drafted their constitution and by-Laws and elected their first set of officers. In the next 20 years, the PRS basically existed as a fellowship of a limited number of Filipino doctors practicing exclusively Radiology, helping and nurturing each other and working for the safety in the workplace.

With the evolving development in the Medical sciences, particularly Radiology, and the growing number of membership, the PRS leadership and members saw the need to further professionalize the organization. Thus in August 21, 1970, a new constitution and by-Laws was drafted and the name was changed to Philippine College of Radiology. The new Philippine College of Radiology also included the Philippine Board of Radiology. Along with the change in name a new logo, designed by Drs. Bienvenido Lapuz and Edmundo Villacorta, was adopted. In 1974, the PCR was incorporated and a new Code of Ethics was included in the constitution. Through the years, the constitution and by-Laws and the Code of Ethics underwent revisions to conform to the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and to reflect the changing needs of the growing organization.

The expanding number of members scattered throughout the country saw the need to further consolidate and tighten the chain of members. Thus regional chapters were developed. Currently the PCR has four active regional chapters, The Northern Luzon Chapter, the Southern Tagalog and Bicol Chapter, the Visayas and Mindanao Chapter, and the Northern Mindanao chapter.

 

As in any specialty, education and training determine the quality of service that a radiologist can provide. In the early years, training was mostly outside the country, in Europe or USA. In the 70s, however, going abroad for training was getting difficult and with the transformation of the PRS to a College of Radiology a move was immediately done to ensure the quality of training of radiology in local hospitals. New standards for local radiological training and hospital accreditation were adopted and a three year straight residency was required for the Board Examination. The first oral examination was conducted in 1971. Through the years, the PCR conducted regular scientific sessions and seminars on different topics in Radiology to hone the skills of its members. In response to the advances in the science of Radiology, The Revised Criteria for Accreditation of Residency Training in Radiology was approved by the PCR Board of Directors in 1997. Also that same year, the Residency Training Council (RTC), composed of the training officers of all accredited training Institutions, was created. The RTC was charged with the supervision of all Residency training programs and was tasked to formulate a syllabus for the training program and to constantly review and revise this to reflect the new trends in the training and practice of Radiology.

 

Although the PCR was organized primarily for the Filipino Radiologists, it did not adopt an isolationist view. It is a member of several international organizations like the Asean Association of Radiology, Asia-Oceania Society of Radiology, and the International College of Radiology, and had even hosted several international events. In November 1975, during the term of Dr. Federico Principe, it hosted the second AOCR conference in Manila, attended by more than 300 foreign delegates. In December 1984, January 1995, and in January 2006, the PCR successfully hosted the 3rd, 8^th, and the 13^th AAR congresses.

The rapid advances in technology saw the development of new modalities which saw the need to create subspecialties. Thus the different subspecialties, under the umbrella of the PCR, were conceived. These are the Ultrasound Society of the Philippines, the CT-MRI Society of the Philippines, the Philippine Radiation Oncology Society, and the Philippine Society of Vascular and Interventional Radiology.

With it eyes fixed on the mission and vision it had adopted in 1999, the Philippine College of Radiology continues to grow to meet the challenges of the future. . . .

(Note: Majority of the information were lifted from the article “From Magnificent Seven to Eminent Hundred” as published in the book “The Filipino as a Radiologist”)