Saviour International Hospital ... one year later
Doctors Robert Jacobo, Felix Villa, Joel Abonado,
Victoria Gendrala, Evangeline Johnson, Rene
Juaneza and Raul Cañonero
From 16 patients since it opened, Saviour International Hospital now has more than 100 percent occupancy rate.
This achievement, among others was highlighted during the celebration of SIH's first anniversary last Jan. 31, 2008.
ACHIEVEMENTS. During the program, Dr. Victoria Gendrala, senior vice president for Operations, said that SIH has accomplished its goal of becoming a tertiary hospital by hiring competent personnel, by complying with health and environmental requirements, by being aggressive in its marketing and the offering of more perks. Some of these perks are the acceptance of health insurances in the hospital, discounts for organizations with which they have a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), Philhealth for the masses and the building of the Skyward. The latter is a medical ward for male and female patients who are in the low income group who have Philhealth. As for the MOA, SIH has already partnered with the Department of Education 6, police, Bureau of Fire and Protection, Philippine Councilors League, and even the media, to name some.
Saviour Hospital's Tri-care partners
Gendrala also said that SIH won the Best Marketing Award during the National Convention of Philippine Hospitals because of its innovative practices.
It is also the hospital that has the most visiting consultants and many accredited doctors, Gendrala said.
But the biggest achievement for SIH, Gendrala said, is the opening of the Heart and Lung Institute last year. The first open heart surgery in Western Visayas was done in this hospital. Since then, there were 17 open heart surgeries done with zero mortality.
Medical mission4
PLANS. Dr. Rene Juaneza, hospital director, has set his sights on balancing the hospital's financial status in order for it to face the public's increasing health needs. "We would like to make the hospital self-generating and we can do this by spending more in the Human Relations Department, because after all, contented employees are willing to work for the betterment of the hospital," he said. Fixing the financing system through the use of Mesys, growth mapping, putting up of a residency training program, are some of the many strategies that Juaneza plans to apply. "A bigger hospital needs a bigger and larger plan," he said.
Dr Felix Villa, chief of clinics, checks on a patient
GROWTH. Dr. Evangeline Johnson, chief operating officer of SIH, who was celebrating her birthday on that day, said that she's proud of what the hospital has achieved in the last year. "It exceeded my expectations. We want to do the best we can for the people we need to serve," she said.
Johnson promises that on its second year, SIH will "grow in all dimensions." There will be more specialty programs offered as she aims for SIH to become a specialty hospital in Western Visayas. At present, SIH has 15 specialty programs, some of which are the Heart and Lung Institute, Geriatrics, Laparoscopy Surgery, Cosmetics Institute, Arthritis, Bone and Joint Diseases, Varicose Veins and Wound Care Center, Programa Para sa Kabataan and Programa sa Masa. The latter is the most ambitious program of SIH, as it aims to provide equal medical care to the underprivileged. Dr. Johnson said that this is still being finalized.
Apart from the program, a medical mission was held at the hospital premises.