ILOILO CITY – The Heart and Lung Center at the Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) in this city is set to serve patients beginning next month.
THE newly-inaugurated Heart and Lung Center at the Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) in Iloilo City. (Office of Iloilo City Congresswoman Baronda)
The P449-million specialty center was inaugurated by Sen. JV Ejercito, Iloilo City Rep. Julienne “Jam Jam” Baronda, Department of Health (DOH)-Western Visayas Regional Director Dr. Adriano Suba-an, and WVMC Director Dr. Joseph Dean Nicolo on April 26.
The Heart and Lung Center is part of the implementation of Republic Act. No. 11496 that increased bed capacity at WVMC as well as RA 11959 that established specialty centers.
“Indi na sila kinahanglan magpa-Manila pa (No need to go to Manila anymore),” said Baronda, principal author of RA 11496 at the House of Representatives.
Baronda thanked Ejercito, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health in 2018, for helping find allocation to construct the Heart and Lung Center.
The Heart and Lung Center at the DOH-run hospital will not only cater to patients of Iloilo City but also those from the provinces of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, and Iloilo.
Meanwhile, the groundbreaking ceremony for the WVMC Cancer Care Center was held recently. The first phase of the project has a budget of P300 million.