PNP General Hospital: Then and Now (Excerpt from A Capite, Ad Calcem - HS 17th Anniversary Edition)

      In 1950, an Infirmary was built with a twenty-five (25) capacity as a support unit to the Philippine Constabulary Command, located  in Camp Panopio, P Tuazon, Quezon City.  It served as an extension facility of the Victorino Luna General Hospital.  It ws named the Constabulary Station Hospital with a fifty (50) bed capacity on MArch 1, 1955, later it would be renamed as the MPF-CAPCOM Hospital.


      In 1972 a 100-bed hospital building was inagurated housing the whole Constabulary Station Hospital, located in Camp Crame, Santolan Quezon City.  In 1989,, it was renamed as the PC-INP General Hospital with one hundred fifty (150) bed capacity.


       With the enactment of RA  6975, also known as the Department of the Interior and Local Government Act of 1990, and becasue of the increasing number of patients, the Camp Panopio Hospital (formerly known as  MPF-CAPCOM Hospital) and the Camp Crame Hospital (formerly known as PC-INP General Hospital) were merged to become the PNP General Hospital Main, at Camp Crame.  The PNPGH Annex at Camp Panopio housed the surgical facilities of the hospital.  In 2002, the PNPGH Leadership decided to transfer the different sections that were housed at the PNPGH Annex at Camp Panopio to the PNPGH Main at Camp Crame in ordr to provide a more efficient health care system to PNP personnel both uniformed and non-uniformed and their dependents and pther aithorized civilian patients who seek consultation and admission in PNPGH.  This paved the way to several changes in the physical planning and management of the hospital.


       The Out-patient Department which caught fire sometime in 1998 had to be renovated and reorganized so as to facilitate a more convenient flow of patients and make room for a new Dialysis Center, an Ultrasound Section in the radiology service, a minor operating for the OPD Surgery Section and for new pharmacy.  The ECG Section also housed  in the same building become roomier to accommodate a stress test or tread mill machine.  At present, this ECG Section been  renamed as the Heart Station for it has now the capability of also doing a 2Decho cardiogram.  To adhere to the requirements of a Tertiary level hospital, the PNPGH Laboratory  Service has added very recently to its services a Bacteriology Section which does culture and sensitivity test and a Blood Bank Station which stores blood for transfusion. So if before, blood specimen for culture and sensitivity had to be spent out now no more.  Other services of the laboratory were enhanced with modern equipment like the hematology, microscopy, serolgy and clinical chemistry services.


        The Emergency room which was first relocated at the center of the  hospital ground became bigger and modernized to accommodate more patients.  But years later the then Director of the Health Service, PCSUPT  FEDERICO G DAMATAC and then chief, PNPGH PSSUPT FRANCISCO P  ALTAREJOS agreed to transfer the ER to its present location near the entrance of the hospital premises for visibility and easy access of emergency cases.  Today, the emergenecy room is more spacious, more equipped and manned by specialty trained medical officers, nurses and other allied personnel


..... to be continued