The Eastern Visayas Medical Center (EVMC) officially inaugurated a veterans’ ward within its regional hospital complex earlier this week. The ward, named the “Captain Nievas Fernandez Veterans Ward,” honors a local resident who was a teacher turned guerrilla fighter and one of the lesser-known heroes of World War II.
The construction of the veterans’ ward was funded by the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO). According to EVMC information office chief Roby Peñalosa, the inauguration took place in November 2024, but the management had to wait for the necessary permit from the Department of Health (DOH).
The facility includes 15 beds designated exclusively for World War II veterans, Korean War veterans, Anti-Dissident Campaign veterans, and retirees from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), along with their qualified dependents who require hospital treatment or confinement.
Peñalosa noted that the finances for those admitted to the Veterans Ward will be covered by the PVAO, in addition to support from PhilHealth and other government subsidies.
Veterans, retirees, and their dependents must present valid identification documents issued by the PVAO or the AFP to receive inpatient care.
This is the fifth veterans’ ward established in the country, as mandated by Republic Act 6948 and amended by Republic Act 7696, which created the Veterans Hospitalization and Medical Care Program (VHMCP) to establish veteran wards in all DOH-retained hospitals. Similar facilities can be found in Cagayan de Oro, Batangas, Dagupan, and Davao cities.
Photo courtesy: Roel Amazona/PNA
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