Cagayan Valley Sanitarium and Hospital

Far Eastern Division Outlook, June 1959, p 7

The Cagayan Valley Sanitarium and Hospital

By Roy V. Jutzy, M.D.

The medical work in the North Philippine Union Mission took an important step forward on March 16, 1959, with the opening of a new hospital, the Cagayan Valley Sanitarium and Hospital, located at Santiago, Isabela. The inauguration ceremonies which were held on March 16, 1959, were attended by a large number of the local population headed by the mayor and vice-mayor of the municipality.

Also in attendance were an impressive number of distinguished visitors, including the governor of the province of Isabela, the congressman from the province of Isabela, and other prominent business people. The inaugural addresses were given by the Honorable Felix T. Caro, governor of the province of Isabela, the Honorable Delfin Albano, congressman of the province of Isabela, and Pastor Andrew J. Robbins, president of the North Philippine Union Mission.

The hospital is located in a thriving community in Northern Luzon and in the center of a population area of fifty to sixty thousand people. It is the only hospital within the radius of approximately one hundred kilometers and the only well equipped hospital located in Northern Luzon. Thanks to the many loyal friends in the United States, the hospital can boast of the best equipment of any hospital located outside of the Manila area.

The hospital was opened under the direction of the North Philippine Union Mission in cooperation with the Manila Sanitarium and Hospital and the Northern Luzon Mission. It is under the capable leadership of Dr. Celedonio A. Fernando, who has recently returned from the United States after taking a course in postgraduate surgery. He is the first Filipino doctor to return to the Philippines after taking advanced training. He has been very energetic in getting the hospital started and in collecting equipment both in the United States and in the Philippines. He is temporarily being assisted by Dr. Leonardo F. Rolle, an intern from Manila Sanitarium and Hospital, and by Dr. Teofilo Sumawang, a dentist. Associated with him are also a dedicated group of nurses and other workers, many of whom have been obtained from the Manila Sanitarium and Hospital.

The hospital will fill a great need both in the public welfare needs in the area in which it is located and also in assisting to promulgate the Seventh-day Adventist message. Since the opening day, the hospital has been very successful. Even before the opening ceremonies, patients were lined up waiting for medical care. In the two weeks since the opening of the hospital, there has been an average patient count of 16 inpatients per day, although the hospital was originally designed to accommodate only nine patients. In addition to this, there has been an average of 30 to 40 outpatients daily. During the first two weeks, ten major operations were performed as well as a number of minor operations and other procedures.

It is hoped that the opening of this hospital will be a start in a new era of medical progress throughout the Philippine Islands.

Far Eastern Division Outlook, January 1960, p 8

North Philippine Union Mission

A.J. Robbins, President

[snip]

Our youngest union institution is Cagayan Valley Sanitarium and Hospital. Established less than a year ago, this medical unit promises to be one of our strong hospitals. Dr. Cclcdonio Fernando, one of our young men, has demonstrated what consecrated talent dedicated to the work of God can accomplish. In a converted office building capable of housing nine inpatients, the doctor and his staff have found a way to accommodate as many as 19 inpatients and they see as many as 30 to 50 outpatients daily. The reputation of the hospital is growing and creating good will in the entire area.