R1MC now ISO-certified, expands to 600 beds
THE Region 1 Medical Center (R1MC), the only tertiary hospital in Pangasinan, scored a new milestone in its 88-year history when it obtained an international certification for its preventive, curative, rehabilitative health care services.
The ISO 9001:2008 certification was received by Dr. Joseph Roland Mejia, R1MC Director, from Paul Bagatsing, vice president and general manager of AJA Registrar Inc., during a ceremony on October 14 attended by two assistant secretaries of the Department of Health, Dr. Gerardo Bayugo and Dr. Elmer Punzalan.
“R1MC is gearing toward globalization, that’s our commitment,” Mejia said.
The awarding coincided with the inauguration of R1MC as a 600-bed capacity hospital from only 300.
R1MC’s expansion, implemented through Republic Act No. 10614 authored in the House of Representatives by Fourth District Rep. Gina de Venecia, also includes the opening of a new pediatric and obstetric unit, a conference hall named after Dr. Arturo Reyes, and a corporate center.
Bayugo said R1MC is the first hospital run by DOH outside Metro Manila to be awarded such certification from the International Standard organization based in Switzerland and only second in the country after the Quirino Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City, which received it last February.
“The ISO certification is a testament to the quality management being applied at R1MCas evidenced by the continuous improvement of its services and for satisfying the needs of its customers,” Bayugo said.
Bayugo added that the ISO certification will boost R1MC’s capacity to continue improving its management systems as well as efficiency and processes.
With a 600-bed capacity, R1MC is now the largest government hospital outside Metro Manila.
Construction is also ongoing for a further expansion into a 1,500-bed capacity with a new 11-storey administrative building targeted for completion by 2016.
De Venecia has also committed to push for the procurement of modern equipment and facilities and employment of additional staff, doctors and nurses.
De Venecia has also filed a bill that seeks to make R1MC the regional center for the treatment of cancer, heart and lung which will position the hospital as a major player in the country’s “medical tourism.”
R1MC is already an accredited organ transplant hospital, the first outside Metro Manila.
Meanwhile, the Region 1 Drug Treatment Hospital operated by R1MC, which has a 300-bed capacity, is also slated to be opened before the end of the year. (With report from PIA)
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