ICHC Celebrates 16th Foundation Day


The Immaculate Conception Health Center (ICHC) opens its 16th foundation day on August 15 with a thanksgiving mass and followed by feeding program to 500 children in neighboring barangays and schools (VES, AAYMES and Holy trinity). Children are given milk and nutritious meal. ICHC often conducts feeding program to reduce the malnourish children in the community.

Sixteen years ago on August 15, ICHC was opened to the public by its founder, Victorias Kaayong Lawas Foundation, Inc. in response to the call of the poor for proper and professional health care.

It was at first a 17-bed primary hospital that was built on a 2,500 square meter lot donated by the Abelardo Bantug Foundation, Inc. at Bandung Village Victorias City. It was designed by Marilen S. Bantug and the late Architect Leon Lasalita.

Even in its pioneering days of operation, ICHC served and average of 800 to 900 patients per month, an indicator of how dire the need for the community hospital was in Victorias. The ICHC provided Integrated Medical Services Program comprising the following service components: IN-PATIENT SERVICES, an in house service catering to the needs of patients admitted for treatment, and EMERGENCY SERVICES that provide first aid treatment and medical attention to emergency cases calling for immediate medical and surgical assistance. In cooperation with the City of Victorias, ambulance service is made available when called for. At the community level, MOBILE HEALTH CLINIC which delivers basic health services to residents in remote sugarcane plantations and barangays is also undertaken, specially on the World Day of the Sick, every February 11, the Foundation Day of the Hospital on August 15, and on December 8 which celebrates the Hospital Day. Another important component of ICHC medical service is REFERRALS of high risk and special cases that the medical staffs identify to be beyond their capacity to care for, and hence, referred for admission to private or government hospital in Silay and Bacolod City.

Funds for ICHC is drawn from a diversity of sources: donations, personal contributions of concerned citizens and proceeds from fund-raising campaigns. Strong linkage with the provincial government and the City of Victorias yields a regular contribution of P10,000 a month, or an equivalent of P120,000 a year to augment the hospital fund to cover the cost of services extended to welfare clients who are admitted, and given treatment but cannot afford to pay. Other funding sources come from VIMACA Kabulig Foundation, Inc., Provincial Government of Negros Occidental, Abelardo Bantug Foundation, Inc., Alrac Incorporated, A.B. Leisure Corporation, BAPA Holdings & Development corporation, United Nations Women’s Guild of Vienna and Philippine Association of the Sovereign Military Order of MALTA who provides assistance for medicines, hospital supplies and equipments.

While day to day operations of Immaculate Conception Health Center is managed by trained medical personnel, the officers of Victorias Kaayong Lawas Foundation, Inc.(VKLFI), founder of ICHC, assumes full responsibility on the overall program implementation. The officers of VKLFI see to it that the hospital program runs according to their defined mission, and goals are realized within their set time frame. The employees of ICHC on the other hand, directly supervise the hospital program, and are responsible in ensuring the quality of health care and other medical services.

To this day, Immaculate Conception Health Center (ICHC) continues to live the principle: “Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do unto me.” (Matthew 25:40) and continues to extend professional health services to the poorest of the poor not only in Victorias but also in the neighboring cities and municipalities
.(some texts are taken from Health Care For The Poor: History of Victorias Kaayong Lawas Foundation, Inc.)

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