In 1965, six young Filipino doctors returned to the Philippines and decided to pool their resources together to open a small laboratory in the City of Manila. This laboratory, the Medilab, was the foundation of the vision of comprehensive care that integrates a hospital and a medical insurance system.
On August 15, 1967, the hospital was formally inaugurated as Medical Center Manila with Dr. Paulo C. Campos as its first medical director. Under the administration of the Sisters of St. Paul de Chartres, it opened with an initial capacity of 176 beds for adults and children and 24 bassinets in the Nursery.
In March 2013, Mount Grace Hospitals Inc. bought the majority shares of the hospital and now operates and manages Medical Center Manila, rebranding it with its former nickname, ManilaMed.
Launch of logo, theme
On its 55th year, ManilaMed decided that it would celebrate this milestone year after a two-year hiatus brought about the pandemic. With the theme “Heritage Built on Passion, Legacy, Service,” the anniversary celebration kicked off with the launch of the anniversary logo and the theme.
“We decided to start the celebrations early and we had the logo launch in April 2022. During that same month, we had our initial event that was spearheaded by the Marketing Department,” related Jhoanne Mae C. Toriaga, Head of ManilaMed’s Culture Management Department.
On April 18, 2022 the ManilaMed Champions of Care Gallery was launched as the hospital’s way of uniting and honoring Filipino doctors, healthcare workers, and frontliners who selflessly sacrificed their lives and withstood many challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Complementary to the Champions of Care, we also had a similar activity where we honored our Models of Passion, Models of Legacy and Models of Service,” Toriaga added.
Golf tournament
The next major event was a golf tournament held on June 10, 2022 at Manila Southwoods in Carmona, Cavite. The event brought together ManilaMed’s management team, doctors, suppliers and members of the Mount Grace Group. Even doctors from partner hospitals in Dagupan and Nueva Ecija were on ground to join the celebrations.
Raffle prizes were also given out during the event. The proceeds from the golf tournament will be used to support Asilo San Vicente De Paul, an orphanage located along United Nations Avenue.
“Run by the Daughters of Charity, we are planning a continuous program with them which would not only include the provision of health care but hopefully in the long run, infrastructure improvements and support to the children” Toriaga said, adding that ManilaMed will make sure that the children are healthy and that they get the required vaccinations.
Changing of the guards
On July 30, ManilaMed had its Doctors’ Night and Alumni Homecoming which was held at the Bayanihan Center in Mandaluyong City. Almost 200 doctors joined the event, with some coming from the provinces just to join the anniversary celebrations.
“It was also during this event that it was announced that Dr. Eduardo S. Eseque was appointed the new President of ManilaMed. Also gracing the event were officials from Unilab and Mount Grace,” she said.
August 15, 2022, the day of the actual anniversary, started with a thanksgiving mass. This was followed by a big celebration held at the Emilio Aguinaldo College gymnasium. Attendees of both celebrations had to test negative in their antigen tests before being allowed to enter the venue.
Other activities that took place to celebrate ManilaMed’s anniversary include a blood donation drive, Breastfeeding Month photo contest, and the launch of the Stroke Support Group.
“We tried to bring back the pre-pandemic feel so that our employees will feel that they are appreciated for all their efforts. Despite the pandemic, we are staying strong. The impact is so different when you know that your leaders and colleagues are there to support you,” Toriaga said.