St. Luke’s opens Phl’s first-ever Inhaler Clinic
INHALE AND EXHALE. FROM left to right: Dr. Jay Andrew Ilagan, Pulmonologist, Dr. Gwen Agra-Dy, Head of the Institute of Pulmonary Medicine and Dr. Anthony Perez, Senior Vice President and Medical Director for the opening of the first-ever Inhaler Clinic Service in the Philippines, which aims to help people with respiratory problems use their inhalers at its full ability.
Photo by Gwen Bergado for DAILY TRIBUNE
To lessen the burden of those who suffer from respiratory diseases, St. Luke's Medical Center Global City opened the Philippines’ first-ever Inhaler Clinic Service on 4 December 2025 at the hospital’s Piano Lounge.
The initiative, planned at the start of the year, is centered on four goals — identification and solving of device-related problems, monitoring of treatment outcomes, education of patients and caregivers for empowerment, and proper teaching of inhaler technique.
According to multiple studies, up to 94 percent of patients do not utilize their inhalers correctly, and Dra. Gwen Dy-Agra, Head of the Institute of Pulmonary Medicine at St. Luke's Global City, focused on this issue.
“When we see patients who tell us that the medication is not working, we always have to check the inhaler technique. Maybe, it's wrong,” she said to DAILY TRIBUNE.
Dy-Agra said multiple factors contribute to the rise of respiratory diseases — but pointed to vaping and smoking, alongside climate change, as the main driving forces.
“Modifiable habits like smoking, vaping. These, we also need to enforce,” she explained.
“Because climate change is non-modifiable, when you have climate change, you have more allergens,” she added, clarifying that allergens trigger asthma.
She also noted that seasonal climate changes increase the number of infections.
Breathe better
Dy-Agra encouraged those with respiratory diseases such as asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and any other illnesses requiring inhaler use to visit the clinic and ensure they are using their devices correctly.
“So, we want to evaluate completely before we prescribe. Because it's not only an inhaler. It's also a modification of your lifestyle,” she said.
Newly diagnosed patients with prescribed inhalers, those with complex inhaler regimens, and those receiving new inhaler prescriptions are recommended to visit the clinic.
Patients who are confused about how to navigate their inhalers or those experiencing device mismatch are also welcome for education and monitoring sessions.