Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center Explained

Vicente Sotto Memorial
Map Size:225px
Region:Cebu City
State:Cebu
Country:Philippines
Coordinates:10.3081°N 123.8913°W
Pushpin Map:Visayas#Philippines
Beds:1200
Opened:April 11, 1913

Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) is a government-owned hospital in Cebu City, Philippines.

VSMMC is a general tertiary medical center teaching training medical facility owned by the Philippine Government. It aims to provide health care services that are available, affordable, accessible and acceptable to all regardless of social status.

Its operation started as early as 1911 known as Hospital del Sur and was formally established on April 11, 1913, and through Act 2725 that it granted its legal status on January 12, 1913. The name was then changed to Southern Islands Hospital with only 30 beds at its inception.

On June 1, 1992, Republic Act No. 7588 was approved increasing the bed capacity of VSMMC from 150 beds to 400 beds.[1] The hospital's bed capacity was increased 400 to 800 beds through Republic Act No. 8658 on June 22, 1998,[2] and from 800 to 1200 beds through Republic Act No. 10770 on April 26, 2016.[3]

Presently, the VSMMC is implementing its new direction with the development of Specialty and Sub-specialties under the different clinical departments. These Specialty and Subspecialties include the General Surgery, Neuro Surgery, Uro-Surgery, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics-Gynecology, Orthopedics, Otorhinolaryngology, Ophthalmology, Anesthesiology, Pathology, Psychiatry, Radiology, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Emergency Medicine; Family Medicine and Pediatrics, Rehabilitation Medicine Department, Dental Services Unit and the National Voluntary Blood Services Program.[4]

In 2007, the hospital became involved in what is known as the "Black Suede Scandal" where a video of an operation being performed on a man who had a body spray canister stuck to his anus was leaked. The controversy eventually led to five of the doctors involved to be charged with unprofessional and unethical conduct. However, the Board of Medicine of the Professional Regulation Commission dismissed the case on July 9, 2010, after the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas had the case dismissed for lack of legal basis.[5]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Republic Act No. 7588 . Supreme Court E-Library . . 29 May 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220902030450/https://elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/thebookshelf/showdocs/2/3511 . September 2, 2022 . July 20, 1992.
  2. Web site: Republic Act No. 8658 . Supreme Court E-Library . . 29 May 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220902000559/https://elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/thebookshelf/showdocs/2/5153 . September 2, 2022 . June 22, 1998.
  3. Web site: Republic Act No. 10770 . . 29 May 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180320080734/https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2016/04/26/republic-act-no-10770/ . March 20, 2018 . April 26, 2016.
  4. Web site: VSMMC.gov.
  5. News: 5 doctors cleared in "Black Suede" case . 29 May 2024 . . 2 September 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231101122551/https://www.sunstar.com.ph/more-articles/5-doctors-cleared-in-black-suede-case . November 1, 2023 . en.