DAGUPAN CITY, (PNA) — The Region 1 Medical Center (R1MC), the only tertiary hospital in Pangasinan, scored a new milestone in its 88-year history when it bagged an international certification from a world accrediting body for the provision for preventive, curative, rehabilitative health care services.
ISO 9001: 2008 certification was received by R1MC Director Joseph Roland Mejia from Paul Bagatsing, vice president and general manager pf AJA Registrar Inc. during a ceremony attended by two assistant secretaries of Department of Health, Dr. Gerardo Bayugo and Dr. Elmer Punzalan.
The awarding coincided with the inauguration of R1MC as 600-bed capacity hospital from 300-bed capacity per Republic Act No. 10614 authored in the House of Representatives by Pangasinan Fourth District Congressman Gina de Venecia; and the blessing and inauguration of the hospital’s new pedia and obstetric unit, conference hall named after Dr. Arturo Reyes, and a corporate center.
Assistant Secretary Bayugo said R1MC is the second hospital operated by DOH to be given ISO certification after Quirino Memorial Medical Center in Project 4, Quezon City which received it last February, but the first hospital outside Metro Manila to be awarded as such.
The ISO certification is a testament to the quality management being applied at R1MC due to the continuous improvement of its services and for satisfying the needs of its customers.
Bayugo said ISO certification will encourage the hospital to further improve its management systems, efficiency and processes, all for the satisfaction of its clients coming from all parts of Region 1, including Baguio, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija and Zambales.
At 600-bed capacity through RA 10614, R1MC is now the biggest government hospital outside Metro Manila but which is yet to be expanded to 1,500-bed capacity as soon as its 11-storey administrative building planned to be completed before the administration of President Benigno Aquino III ends in 2016.
Rep. De Venecia said that RA 10614 also assured modern equipment and facilities for R1MC and for the employment of additional staff, like doctors and nurses.
De Venecia said she has pending bills that also seeks to make R1MC the regional center for the treatment of cancer as well as health and lung center, all designed to make the hospital cater to what she called “medical tourism”.
R1MC is already an accredited organ transplant hospital, the first outside Metro Manila.
De Venecia announced that aside from this, a separate 300-bed capacity Region 1 Drug Treatment Hospital operated by R1MC is slated to be opened before the year-end in Barangay Bonuan Binloc here.
On the other hand, Mayor Belen Fernandez thanked President Benigno Aquino III for expanding R1MC to 600-bed capacity which she said is a big boon to the people of Dagupan City being the host of the hospital.
She considers the ISO certification received by R1MC as a landmark which the people of Pangasinan will treasure forever.