The head of Gallares Medical Center in Bohol is drawing praise for integrating religious services with medical care while expanding specialized treatment facilities, hospital officials said.
Dr. Miguelito Jayoma has overseen the expansion of the hospital system’s Tagbilaran campus to provide specialized services including geriatric care, orthopedics, rehabilitation and trauma treatment that are not available at the main Cortes campus.
The Governor Celestino Gallares Memorial Medical Center’s accredited oncology department enables cancer patients to receive advanced treatment locally without traveling to the major cities of Cebu or Manila, Jayoma said.
The hospital is developing residency training programs in specialties including ophthalmology, with the aim of eventually offering specialized care at no cost as residents would perform services typically charged to patients, he said.
Jayoma said the facility is working to provide orthopedic implants free of charge.
Some implants currently require out-of-pocket payments, though programs including the Medical Assistance for Indigent Patients Fund help those unable to afford them.
Most hospital services are provided free using funds from agencies including PhilHealth, the national health insurance program, Jayoma said.
Jayoma has reintroduced religious elements at Gallares Hospital, permitting the display of Catholic sacred images and establishing a prayer room for Muslim patients.
“There is a conscious effort to bring back God in the hospital as part of the healing ministry,” he said.
The hospital on Jan. 23 held an event celebrating the Feast of the Infant Jesus with dance performances and prizes, modeled on Cebu’s Sinulog Festival, Jayoma said.
Daily Masses are now conducted at 7 a.m. Mondays and 7:30 a.m. Tuesday through Sunday, with services broadcast to patient rooms. A new chapel has been built at the Tagbilaran campus for patients and families.