Department of Health (DOH) Ilocos Regional Director Paula Paz M. Sydiongco together with Candon City Mayor Eric D. Singson led the blessing and inauguration of the newly constructed Ilocos Sur Medical Center (ISMC) located in Heroes ByPass Road, Brgy. Parioc Primero, Candon City, Ilocos Sur.
According to Sydiongco the soft opening of one wing of the health facility will serve as an infirmary in preparation for its upcoming Grand Opening. “ISMC will transition to a level 1 hospital in the next month and eventually, it will be in full operation by early next year as an end-referral apex hospital”.
‘This will be a 500-bed capacity and will serve patients from Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, and Abra. This facility will also help decongest the Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center (ITRMC) in San Fernando City, and other health facilities, as patients needing specialty medical services will easily receive the medical assistance they need, including better and improved health services. It will soon to be at par with the best hospitals in the country.”
Total funding allocated by the DOH-Health Facility Enhancement Program from 2018- 2022 is P368,500,000.00. For hospital equipment a total of P295,000,000.00 was provided.
Construction for ISMC began in 2018 under the General Appropriations Act of the Health facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP) amounting to 65 million.
The project was initially named as Candon City Hospital (Satellite ITRMC).
On July 21, 2020, House Bill HB07146 was filed “establishing a tertiary hospital under the control, supervision and management of the DOH in the City of Candon, Ilocos Sur to known as the Ilocos Sur Medical Center (ISMC)” which was substituted to HB No. 08270 and on April 16, 2022, the bill was approved as Republic Act No. 11705, “…establishing the ISMC.
The new ISMC is situated over 18,000 square meters of lot, housing a 100-bed emergency room (ER) and an outpatient department (OPD. It will have its own rehabilitation building, dialysis building, administrative and records building, dietary building, and maintenance building
“The realization of this project was due to the harmonious working relationship between the local government of Ilocos Sur and the Department of Health including the participation and support of our various stakeholders. Ensuring the health and welfare of our constituents is gigantic task that requires the whole of society and the whole of government approach in order to achieve it.”
“With the ISMC’s inclusion in the health care system, we can endeavor to rise to the challenge of the current pandemic and work towards the attainment of our goals for Universal Health Care,” Sydiongco emphasized in her message during the inauguration ceremony which was held on October 7, 2022.
