New hospital building inside VSMMC nears completion

CEBU, Philippines - In order to address the increasing number of patients, especially indigents, the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center hopes to further achieve more expansions and augment its medical equipment.

Yesterday, VSMMC officials, Cebu City North District Representative Raul del Mar and their partners made the final inspection on the ongoing construction of a building inside VSMMC compound to be named as Cebu City North District Hospital.

Once completed, the four-storey building will provide additional bed space in order to help decongest the increasing number patients admitted at the medical facility.

VSMMC Medical Chief Dr. Gerardo Aquino anticipates an additional 120 to 130 beds in the new building.

 The construction of the building started on July 13, 2015 and inauguration of the new building will be on July 1.

The new building was made possible through the newly-approved House Bill 5276 that seeks to increase VSMMC's bed capacity from 800 to 1,200 and to provide funding through the combined support of the Department of Health and the Department of Public Works and Highways.

The congressional bill was signed into law by President Benigno Aquino III on April 26, 2016, said Del Mar, who drafted the bill.

Del Mar led the inspection yesterday afternoon together with District Engr. Nicomedes Leonor Jr. of the DPWH-Cebu City Engineering Office. The total cost of the infrastructure project is estimated to reach P84.5 million allocated by DPWH.

Statistics from VSMMC show that of the 51,546 total admissions in 2014, 9.32 percent or 4,806 patients are from Cebu City's north district. This increased in 2015 with 5,770 patients or 11.68 percent of the total admissions. On the first quarter of 2016, 1,460 patients or 12.18 percent of the 11,984 admissions are from the city's north district.

However, Del Mar clarified that patients from other cities, municipalities or districts will also be accommodated if there will be enough space.

"The increase of 1,200 beds will be fulfilled in the future… the (budget) appropriation for the additional beds to reach the target of 1,200 bed capacity will be from DOH next year specifically for Vicente Sotto," Del Mar told reporters yesterday.

Meanwhile, VSMMC officials also blessed yesterday the newly renovated Renal Center.

Through the partnership with Medtronix Medical Supplies, the former Peritoneal Dialsysis Unit (PDU) has now become the state-of-the-art VSMMC Renal Center.

"Wa mi gipalit nga mga equipment, wa tay gipalit nga mga machine so ang kuan lang is the services and then they put up this one. In short, way gasto ang gobiyerno," said Dr. Aquino.

With the upgrade, there are now 10 more hemodialysis units added to the previous 20 units.

Members of the Philippine Health Insurance Company can avail of 90 sessions of hemodialysis for free per year, while indigent patients can avail of the service through the DOH Medical Assistance Program and walk-in patients can avail of it at a minimal price of P2,600 per session.

Another addition to the Renal Center is the Extracoporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL), which is a first outside Metro Manila, according to VSMMC Spokesman Nonoy Mongaya.

The ESWL machine is a non-invasive out-patient treatment option for the management of renal and urethral stones. It consists of high intensity shockwaves that are electrically generated and are focused radiographically or sonographically on the treatment area.

After the treatment, most kidney stones are eventually eliminated in the urine.  (FREEMAN)