Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center

Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center
Map
Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center is located in Visayas
Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center
Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center is located in Philippines
Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center
Geography
LocationCebu City, Cebu, Philippines
Coordinates10°18′29″N 123°53′29″E / 10.30807°N 123.89129°E / 10.30807; 123.89129
Services
Beds1200
History
Former name(s)
  • Hospital del Sur
  • Southern Islands Hospital
OpenedApril 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]

  1. ^ "Republic Act No. 7588". Supreme Court E-Library. Supreme Court of the Philippines. July 20, 1992. Archived from the original on September 2, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  2. ^ "Republic Act No. 8658". Supreme Court E-Library. Supreme Court of the Philippines. June 22, 1998. Archived from the original on September 2, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  3. ^ "Republic Act No. 10770". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. April 26, 2016. Archived from the original on March 20, 2018. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  4. ^ "VSMMC.gov".
  5. ^ "5 doctors cleared in "Black Suede" case". SunStar. September 2, 2010. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved May 29, 2024.