1. Internal Medicine History
Date of Initial Accreditation
The Department of Internal Medicine was first recognized by the Philippine College of Physicians in 1987. The Department was able to meet the minimum of 3 PCP fellows when several private internists became 1-peso consultants. Because of this accreditation, the graduates were qualified to take the Philippine Specialty Board of Internal Medicine Examination.
The Department of Internal Medicine supports the mission/vision of the Zamboanga City Medical Center by providing quality medical care to admitted adult patients. The Department is divided 3 major areas; Wards 5 (non-infectious), 6/7 (Infectious/TB) and Medical ICU/CCU (MICU/CCU). The department oversees the Renal Care Center for Western Mindanao (RCWC), Tuberculosis Directly Observed Therapy (TB-DOTS), TB Diagnostic Committee (TBDC), Ligaya Center for Healing (treatment hub for AIDS) and Pulmonary Unit.
The medical staff attends to the needs of the admitted adult patients in the above-specified areas as well as provides medical care to those admitted at the Departments of Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ophthalmology, Orthopedics and Psychiatry. The department is also involved in ambulatory medicine through its Outpatient Department (Room 1) station, subspecialty clinics (endocrine, Asthma/COPD, heart failure) and the follow up clinic.
The department has also sought to improve the capabilities of the rural physicians to manage complex cases in their setting. Among the projects instituted are the Bridging Communities for Health, Post Graduate Training Courses and Advanced Cardiac Life Support/Basic Life Support Trainings.
Community Health Component of the department includes regular medical outreach with the Philippine College of Physicians Western Mindanao Chapter, Civic and Religious Organizations. The focus on these missions, aside from medical consultation, is health education to address the most common admissions in the department with the hope that improvement in knowledge and will decrease patient burden in the hospital.
The department also seeks to improve its training of its residents by improving its pool of subspecialists through the training of graduates. There are now 2 new subspecialists in Endocrinology and Infectious diseases while one is on training for Oncology. The department has established a training agreement with the University of Calgary – Foothills Medical Center for ZCMC IM residents to undergo rotations for 2-3 months blocks in General IM and their subspecialty of choice.
Research is an integral part of the training; residents are encouraged to do quality researches with a focus on common diseases affecting the population.
All the activities of the department are geared towards the fulfillment of holistic medicine for the adult Filipino by providing quality and evidenced based medical care to admitted patients as well as their communities.
2. Vision, Mission and Core Values and Services Offered
3. List of Past Chairs and Training Officers
4. Present Training Core Faculty
5. Consultants by Subspecialty
6. Unit Heads