WVMC opens Building H for eye care, rehab in Iloilo

By Juliane Judilla

ILOILO CITY — The Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) inaugurated and blessed Building H, the former Department of Health (DOH) building, on Wednesday, opening a new home for its rehabilitation, eye care, and health research units.

Hospital officials described the opening as another milestone in WVMC’s effort to improve services and provide better facilities for patients, health care professionals, and other stakeholders.

The building will house the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Center, the Eye Care Center, the Research Ethics Review Committee, and the Professional Education, Training and Research Unit.

Leading the ribbon-cutting were Dr. Joseph Dean Nicolo, medical center chief II of WVMC; Dr. Mar Wynn D. Bello, regional director of the DOH Center for Health Development (CHD) in Western Visayas; and Dr. Phoebe Tajanlangit, director of the DOH Health Facilities Enhancement Program.

They were joined by WVMC doctors, health care workers, and other hospital officials and personnel.

The opening is expected to strengthen the delivery of essential services at the medical center.

The facility will support rehabilitation care, specialized eye services, ethical review of health research, and continuing education, training, and professional development for health care workers.

Officials said the inauguration reflects WVMC’s commitment to providing accessible, quality, and patient-centered care to Ilonggos and communities across Western Visayas, and to responding to the region’s changing health needs.

WVMC, located on Q. Abeto Street in Mandurriao, Iloilo City, is a DOH-retained tertiary hospital that also serves as a teaching and training facility for the region.

The Health Facilities Enhancement Program is the DOH program that funds the construction, repair, and upgrading of government health facilities nationwide.