ASIDE from providing better medical care for residents, the opening of a new 300-bed hospital in Subangdaku, Mandaue City is expected to spur economic activity in the community.
The University of Cebu Medical Center (UCMed), an affiliate of University of Cebu and St. Vincent Hospital, is set to open today, May 1, with an inspection and tour of facilitites by President Benigno Aquino III, who is in Cebu for a visit.
Initial stages
The hospital aims to employ 600 nurses and staff to run the hospital’s operations once it goes on full swing. The building stands on a one-hectare property and took two years to complete. It is expected to be fully operational by the third quarter of this year.
UCMed president Candice Gotianuy, in an interview yesterday, said that they are initially employing 260 workers to start the hospital going.
However, Gotianuy said that the first days of operation will be limited to UC employees and some selected doctors and individuals. On June, it will start providing outpatient services. The timetable for full operations was not disclosed, since the management wants to put all the systems in place to make sure that everything works once it starts providing inpatient care.
In its initial operations, it will have 150 hospital beds, but it will add 150 more upon full operation.
‘State-of-the-art’
Gotianuy claimed that UCMed will be the first in Southeast Asia to introduce a “fully-integrated” 3D Endoalpha Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) operating room and a 3D mammography with tomosynthesis in Southeast Asia, which means lower radiation and painless procedure, having no compression of the breast. It improves diagnosis of cancer by 40 percent and reduces false positive reading by 30 percent.
UCMed will also be the first to have a flow cytometer in the Visayas and Mindanao area, a piece of medical equipment that tests the abnormalities and growth of tumors. Currently, hospitals have to send blood samples to Manila for this type of test, increasing the risk of spoilage of blood samples and breakage of vials while in transit.
The hospital also features the Brainlab, an imaging device that to ensure safer spine and brain surgery.
Cost of the medical equipment was not made known but the structure has cost the company roughly P2 billion, said UCMed chairman Augusto Go.
Affordable
While UCMed offers some of the most advanced technology in the region, Gotianuy assured the hospital will be offering its patients afforable healthcare.
“If we charge very high, no one will come to us. We should be affordable, offer our services at a reasonable price, so many will choose us,” Go said, adding that the opening of “quality, efficient, and affordable” UCMed will further promote Cebu as a destination for medical tourism.
Centers
By the end of the year, the hospital will open dedicated wellness centers like the Minimally Invasive Surgery; Executive Wellness Center; Cardiovascular Surgery Center; Hematology, Nutrition and Diabetes Center; Women’s Health; Pre-employment Medical Screening; and Nephrology.
The interiors of the hospital adopt a semi-hotel design, which Gotianuy said, is much more similar to hospitals in Singapore.
The hospital expects ancilliary businesses to be generated with the presence of UCMed in the area.
Training
In its first few weeks of operations, UCMed will operate as a level 2 hospital but it will escalate into level 3 with the opening of its School of Medicine in UC Banilad this June 22. Their plan is to eventually turn the facility into a training hospital for students in medicine, nursing and allied medical services.
Gotianuy said the school has received more than 90 applicants for medicine, but she expects it to grow to 150 to 200 students.
The official added that UC will provide a car if one of its graduates in medicine will land as a top passer. This year will be the first for UC to open a school of medicine.
There will also be discounts for employees of UC and Go-led companies when availing of UCMed services.
According to its website, UCMed will also provide discounts to families of students and alumni of UC.
UC has 48,000 students in its four campuses in Cebu.
The hospital will be led by Dr. Joselito Almendras as the medical director, Dr. Eddie Lee as chief of clinics, and Dovie Sainz as project director.
