Another new milestone is set to begin this year for the Eastern Visayas Medical Center (EVMC), the region's primary state-run healthcare facility.
EVMC recently said it is on track to begin transplant operations by the third quarter of 2026, pending the completion of critical infrastructure and facility upgrades.
EVMC Medical Center Chief Joseph Michael Jaro said this development follows a recent visit by the Department of Health (DOH) technical working group, led by National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) Executive Director Rose Marie Rosette-Liquete.
The team assessed EVMC’s transplantation readiness using the risk stratification framework.
Jaro said EVMC has already established a capable workforce for transplantation, including transplant surgeons, nephrologists, and transplant anesthesiologists.
However, the hospital is prioritizing the completion and optimization of critical care areas, particularly operating rooms, intensive care units (ICUs), and emergency facilities, before initiating transplant procedures.
“We cannot proceed with transplantation unless the environment is fully optimized,” Jaro told reporters, noting that immunosuppressed patients are highly vulnerable to infections.
Currently, EVMC operates beyond its intended capacity. With a designed 629-bed capacity, the hospital accommodates approximately 1,110 patients.
Its emergency room, spanning 3,000 square meters, handles around 250 patients at any given time.
To address these challenges, a P436-million project is underway to upgrade critical care areas, targeted for completion by the end of the third quarter of 2026.
"By the end of the year, we aim to achieve an 80 percent transformation of its critical care areas," Jaro added.
Once transplant services become operational, Jaro assured that patients in Eastern Visayas will no longer need to travel to Metro Manila for kidney transplants.
The EVMC provided updates about transplant operations months after the facility announced its first multiple organ donation and retrieval procedure as part of its efforts to enhance life-saving medical interventions in the region.
(With report from PNA)