San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora said on Thursday, May 7, that the improvements at San Juan Medical Center (SJMC) are not merely promises but projects that already have funding and are now undergoing the procurement process, amid reports that the hospital has deteriorated under his administration.
“San Juan Medical Center was neglected for years. We are fixing it. The progress is real. And we will definitely finish the job,” Zamora said in his statement.
He said that more improvements are set to be implemented at SJMC, as the city government has secured an initial P554 million in funding for new medical equipment, including the hospital’s first MRI and a new CT scan machine, as well as for the renovation of the emergency room to Level 3 standards and other facilities, electrical system rehabilitation, a hospital building facelift, and the acquisition of three ambulances.
He added that other projects currently underway include an 11-station hemodialysis center, a blood bank, an ambulatory surgical clinic, the expansion of the surgical wing with a burn unit and surgical intensive care unit (ICU), and a tertiary laboratory with histopathology capability.
“These are the improvements that already have funding and are now undergoing the procurement process. I say this because certain recent reports have made it appear that the San Juan Medical Center has deteriorated under our administration. These are simply false,” Zamora said.
Before becoming mayor, Zamora said what pushed him to improve and rehabilitate the SJMC were the complaints he had been hearing from constituents, noting that 80 to 90 percent of complaints against the local government at the time were about the hospital.
“That is why, when I started my term on June 30, 2019, I vowed to improve and rehabilitate SJMC.”
Hospital conditions in 2019
In fact, he said that when he assumed office as mayor in 2019, the San Juan Medical Center was in a deeply neglected state.
He added that for 18 years, it remained a Level 1 hospital with very limited medical services and procedures available.
“During that period, PhilHealth accreditation had been revoked. Zero Balance Billing was not being implemented. Charity patients still had to pay hospital bills. Bed capacity was only 90. Essential medical equipment was either missing or not working,” he stated.
He noted that patients and their families even had to bring their own electric fans and pay P50 just to plug them in, as basic cooling facilities were not available.
Drinking water was also not provided, and patients had to buy water for P5 per glass at the nurses’ station.
“Imagine, a public hospital charging patients just so they could plug in an electric fan and drink water to stay hydrated while seeking medical treatment and care?”
The mayor explained that during the past two administrations in San Juan City, the hospital budget stood at P61 million in 2001 and P110 million in 2010, adding that critical hospital services and facilities were left behind, with patients enduring inadequate conditions and outdated equipment.
“That was the hospital that we inherited in 2019,” he said.
To demonstrate its focus on healthcare, the new administration conducted an ocular inspection of the SJMC in the early days of its term on June 30, 2019, where it found medical equipment purchased under the previous administration still stored in boxes and wooden crates.
“Many of these were delivered close to the end of their term. What struck me most was that these machines were left unopened, uninstalled and untested and yet were fully paid for,” he said.
“Their warranties were already running even if they were not yet being used. In fact, city government checks amounting to millions were released just a few days before the end of their administration’s term,” Zamora added.
The mayor said the situation worsened because the equipment could not be installed due to unfinished hospital renovations and inadequate physical structures.
“This building was actually the old city hall, which was repurposed as a hospital. Because of this, major restructuring and retrofitting had to be undertaken just to make several areas compliant and capable of supporting the proper installation and operation of this critical medical equipment. Their contractor’s massive delays dragged on for years, leaving vital hospital facilities incomplete and severely disrupting operations.”
He stated that the administration also had to shoulder the remaining construction work, buy missing parts, install a new generator set, and upgrade the electrical capacity from 200kW to 400kW, as the machines could not function due to incomplete components and unresolved electrical requirements.
In addition, the administration initiated the construction of a dialysis center, as there was no facility for dialysis patients at the time.
“But it could not be utilized immediately because the supposed sewage treatment plant (STP) previously in place did not have the required electrical power, which is a basic requirement for its operation,” he explained.
“We inherited not only unfinished infrastructure, but also medical equipment that could not properly serve patients with their existing conditions,” the mayor stressed.
As part of the administration’s initiatives to improve the hospital, Zamora brought in Dr. Joseph Acosta, a former Surgeon General of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, to help address its condition.
Since then, the SJMC has been upgraded to a Department of Health (DOH) Level 2 hospital, allowing it to handle more medical procedures with improved equipment, facilities, and trained medical personnel to better serve patients’ needs.
He also said PhilHealth accreditation was restored in early 2020, while the Zero Balance Billing program for San Juaneños was implemented in December 2019.
Bed capacity increased from 90 to 150, while the hospital workforce grew from 186 personnel in 2019 to 516.
He added that many employees who previously served under temporary and non-regular positions were given opportunities for promotion, plantilla appointments, and greater job stability.
“To date, 117 healthcare workers have been promoted, and 60 employees have been regularized as part of our continuing commitment to improve compensation, strengthen security of tenure, and support the professional growth of our healthcare workforce,” he said.
Is SJMC already perfect?
Zamora also cited several improvements in the San Juan Medical Center, including the expansion of the emergency room from eight to 16 beds, the increase of adult ICU beds from five to 12, and pediatric ICU beds from two to three.
He said the CT scan became operational in 2024, while the mammogram became operational in 2023.
He added that the hospital now has a high-end X-ray with fluoroscopic capability and a heart station with ECG, treadmill test, and 2D echocardiography facilities. He also noted the establishment of the Malasakit Center, Human Milk Bank, Rehabilitation Medicine Department, Cancer Care Center, and Wellness Hub. All wards and rooms are now air-conditioned.
“The hospital budget has increased from P315.9 million in 2019 during my first term to P644.5 million in 2026 to support these upgrades,” he said.
“This proves that our Makabagong San Juan Administration prioritizes the healthcare of every San Juaneño through the infusion of funding for SJMC. We are targeting San Juan Medical Center to be a Level 3 hospital and a nationally recognized Green Medical Center of Excellence providing holistic care by June 30, 2028,” Zamora added.
However, despite the improvements, Zamora acknowledged that the hospital is not perfect and remains a work in progress.
He said it has significantly improved from the condition in 2019 when it was inherited, noting that some residents previously referred to it as the “San Juan Medi-kill Center.”
“Malaki na po ang ipinagbago ng San Juan Medical Center mula 2019. Ngunit alam ko na marami pang dapat gawin at iyan po ang ating tatapusin bago matapos ang ating termino sa June 30, 2028,” he emphasized.
“We welcome feedback. We welcome scrutiny. But criticism should not erase the hard work already done, especially when San Juaneño patients are already seeing and feeling the positive changes. Accountability matters. Accuracy matters too,” Zamora further emphasized.
“Some may prefer to recycle old talking points. We prefer to fix the mess that they left behind. I am staking my name and reputation on this undertaking because the improvement and rehabilitation of San Juan Medical Center is my priority here in San Juan City,” he stressed. (Richielyn Canlas)
