Cancer center to rise in VSMMC

• Source:http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2016/06/28/cancer-center-rise-vsmmc-482212
• Tuesday, June 28, 2016

By Justin K. Vestil

BEFORE she ends her term, Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Janette Loreto-Garin came to Cebu yesterday for the groundbreaking of the P475.5-million cancer center at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC).

Garin, along with VSMMC and DOH 7 officials, also signed the implementing rules and regulations for Republic Act 10770, which allows the tertiary-level hospital to increase its bed capacity from 800 to 1,200.

At 2 p.m. yesterday, Garin led the groundbreaking of the cancer center, which will rise at VSMMC’s tennis court.

Aside from Garin, Cebu Reps. Gwendolyn Garcia (Cebu, 3rd District), Benhur Salimbangon (Cebu, 4th District), Raul del Mar (Cebu City, north district) and Rodrigo Abellanosa (Cebu City, south district) also witnessed the groundbreaking of the new cancer center.

Bill

Salimbangon is one of the six Cebu representatives who worked for the bill’s passage in Congress.

Former Cebu Reps. Rachel Marguerite “Cutie” Del Mar (Cebu City, north district), Ramon “Red” Durano VI (Cebu, fifth), Gabriel Luis “Luigi” Quisumbing (Cebu,sixth), Eduardo “Eddiegul” Gullas (Cebu, first) and Pablo Garcia (Cebu, third) also helped in the cancer center’s creation.

The cancer center, the second in Cebu, will have 10 floors, two of which will be for parking spaces.

It is also considered as the first cancer center in a public hospital in Cebu.

Garin also attended the opening of VSMMC’s Philhealth wards, which will cater to indigent and non-indigent patients who are supported by Philhealth.

Quality service

Garin said that with the new cancer center and the signing of the IRR for RA 10770, VSMMC will be more capable to handle more patients and provide them with quality services.

But Dr. Gerardo Aquino, VSMMC medical chief, told reporters that while their bed capacity has increased and more facilities will be offered soon, he lamented that they are still working beyond what is given to them.

He said that before they became a 1,200-bed hospital, they only had 800 beds for more than 1,200 patients.

Even with a 1,200-bed capacity, it is expected that their hospital population would increase, Aquino said.