The Southern Philippines Medical Center has announced the opening of new health facilities on Thursday to provide better services not only to host-city Davao but also to patients from other provinces and cities in Mindanao.
It includes; Centralized Intensive Care Unit (CICU),Cancer Institute, Emerging and re-emerging Diseases Isolation Facility, House of Hope extension and Candles of Hope.
SPMC chief Dr. Leopoldo Vega said the new facilities will be fully operational right after the launching. He added that the new facilities will help address the congestion in the government-run hospital.
The CICU has a four-storey in-patient facility with 52 ICU beds including a separate stroke unit and ICU facility for infectious cases. It also includes a 137 bed general adult medicine wards for clean cases. The P142 million budget used for the construction came from the Department of Health’s Health Facilities Enhancement Program (DOH-HFEP).
“This will answer the growing needs of the community we serve for critical care services,” Vega said.
The Cancer Institute caters to pediatric and adult out-patient and minor surgical facility for cancer patients while the House of Hope extension is a two-storey annex with additional rooms including a multipurpose room, teens and activity room and play area.
For the two cancer facilities Vega said, “We hope to improve cancer outcomes in the region and beyond and provide normalcy to children and teens undergoing a life threatening illness at an early point in their life.
Vega said the state of the art Emerging and re-emerging Diseases Isolation Facility is a two bed facility which ensures both the safety and well-being of patients in the hospital staff as well as the community by mitigating risks of spread.
On the other hand, Davao’s homegrown sculptor, Kublai Milan donated his time and skills to construct the “Candles of Hope” located right in front of the new Cancer Institute.
“This will serve to provide a space for patients and families to get in touch with their spirituality and draw strength from their maker as they deal with their illness,” Vega explained.
With the establishment of the new facilities, Vega said the hospital will need additional medical practitioners to further serve the public. (PNA)
