PUERTO PRINCESA CITY – SM Foundation Inc. (SMFI) has renovated and refurbished the Camp General Artemio Ricarte Station Hospital (CGARSH) making it capable of providing Basic Ancillary Services including ECG, x-ray, laboratory, and other medical services to military personnel, their dependents and authorized civilians. It now has an improved pharmacy and central supply room.
CGARSH, located in Puerto Princesa City is the 27th military health facility given a makeover by SMFI as part of its health and wellness advocacy as well as its way of honoring and acknowledging the contribution of the military in nation building. It is also the site of the 146th Wellness Center refurbished by SMFI to date.
The rehabilitation and improvement of the Station Hospital included the Nurses Station, treatment room, Officers Ward, Military Ward, Pediatric Ward, Female/OB Ward, Physical Rehab, recovery room, ICU, and the OR/DR complex.
To ensure the comfort and convenience of the patients, SMFI built a Patient’s Waiting Lounge, while a Changing Room for military personnel and a Breastfeeding Area are provided for nursing mothers.
CGARSH is the only Military Treatment Facility (MTF) in Palawan servicing the entire Western Command. It is a 20-bed capacity hospital, which can be expanded to 50-bed capacity hospital. Licensed by the Department of Health and accredited by PhilHealth, the Level 1 hospital provides services in General Medicine, General Surgery, OB-Gyne, General Pediatrics, Anesthesia, and EENT.
Other services include out-patient care, physical therapy, physical examinations, family planning, Emergency Room services, NP Screening, preventive medicine activities, and aero-medical services to include search and rescue operations and medical missions in Palawan.
The newly renovated station hospital can now dispense better medical services to 6,000 military personnel and their dependents belonging to the Western Command: Task Force Peacock (Marines); I-care (Air Force); and Joint Task Force West. In the past, around 60 to 80 patients are treated daily in CGARSH.
CGARSH is administered by the AFP Health Service Command headed by BGen Edwin Leo T. Torrelavega AFP.
Present during the turnover of the renovated facility were Lt. Gen. Rozzano D. Briguez AFP, Bgen Edwin Leo T. Torrelavega AFP, Lt. Col. Rey Sixto R. Mangibin DS (GSC), Lt. Col. Alekhine C. Tinio MC, SM City Puerto Princesa Assistant Mall Manager Darrell E. Sy, and SMFI Executive Director for Health and Medical Programs Miss Connie S. Angeles. They were also joined by other AFP officials, civilian health and medical professionals, staff of SM City Puerto Princesa, other representatives of SMFI as well as of other SM Affiliates in Palawan (PR)