The University of Cebu Medical Center (UCMed) opens today with an inspection and tour of the facilities by President Benigno S. Aquino III.
The construction of the P2B 12-storey, 300-bed, Level 2 hospital on a one-hectare property along Ouano Avenue, Subangdaku, Mandaue City took two years to complete and is expected to be fully operational by the third quarter of 2015.
The new hospital facility affiliated with the University of Cebu and St. Vincent General Hospital offers a lot of firsts not only in Cebu but also in the VisMin and the Southeast Asia.
It is the first fully integrated 3D Endoalpha Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) Operating Room and the first 3D Mammography with Tomosynthesis in Southeast Asia.
Medical procedures such as flow cytometry tests (a procedure that determines abnormalities and growth of tumors) will now be available for the first time in the Vismin region. Before, all the hospitals have to send blood samples to Manila for this type of test thus increasing the risk of spoilage of blood samples and breakage of vials while in transit.
It also has the most advanced 3D Laparoscopic Surgery OR in the Philippines and the first fully integrated and the most advanced Digestive Endoscopy Suite in the country.
UCMed’s Brainlab, an imaging device that will make spine and brain surgery safer is the most advanced in the region.
By the end of the year dedicated Wellness Centers will open, namely; 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 presence of UCMed is expected to spur an increase in economic activity in the area through the ancillary businesses it will generate. It will also precipitate a growing community with restaurant, shops, hotels and other businesses.
As UCMed is envisioned to eventually be a training hospital, it will also be a welcome addition to the roster of training centers with state-of-the-art medical facilities for students and medical practitioners in the field of medicine, Nursing and Allied medical services.