University of the East/Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center College of Medicine, Philippines

The University of the East – Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center, Inc. (UERMMMCI or UERM) is a university in Quezon City, Philippines. Founded in 1956, the university is one of the three campuses of the University of the East. UERMMMCI is a non-stock, non-profit foundation and a memorial to President Ramon Magsaysay since 1957. UERMMMCI has several degrees that are accredited by the Commission on Higher Education as Centers of Excellence and also has level IV accreditation by the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU).The College of Medicine is in the list of top performing schools for having an overall passing percentage of 96.03% as of August 2011 Licensure Examination.

The College of Nursing has been accredited Level IV by PAASCU and has 98.13% passing rate as of January 2011 Licensure Exam. The College of Physical Therapy (now College of Allied Rehabilitation Sciences) also has level III accreditation and has 100% passing rate as of January 2011.

The university would not be complete without a college of medicine. This was facilitated by the purchase of the Instituto de Mujeres along Aurora Boulevard, Quezon City. It consisted of 10,000 square meters of ground and a four-storey concrete building which was remodelled to expand and meet the requirements of a medical college. Thus, the college of medicine was established in 1956 and it became the nucleus of the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center, Inc.(UERMMMCI)

The University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center (UERMMMC) is both a world-renowned training ground for the medical, nursing and physical therapy professions and one of the leading health care facilities in the country today. It is a witness to the remarkable vision and foresight of its founders.

The UERM Memorial Medical Center believes in the development of the healers of tomorrow who are capable of being relevant, compassionate, and ethical in the practice of his/her profession. Thus, its graduates are imbued not only with technology but with the power to continue growing with a commitment to life-long learning. Campus activities help to mold him to be relevant and serve as a catalyzer, an organizer and an advocate. He thus learns to practice his profession not only as a skilled technician but one who puts art in the science of healing. He cares not only for his individual patient but the whole community that he serves as well. (Romeo A. Divinagracia, M.D.)

The Philippines was still emerging from the ruins of the Second World War. Morbidity and mortality rates were high. Many places in the country were without adequate health services and there was a need for more doctors. There were only five medical schools graduating a little over a thousand physicians annually and less than 10,000 physicians in the whole country with 20 million people — a ratio of one for every 2,000 people.

The opening of the UE College of Medicine was President Francisco Dalupan’s answer to the needs of the youth and the country.

The University of the East began as a college of commerce known as the Philippine College of Commerce and Business Administration in 1946. Four new colleges were added in 1948: the Colleges of Liberal Arts, Education, Dentistry, and the Graduate School. With the addition of the College of Law in 1950, the group of colleges became a university. And in 1954 the UE Technical School opened in Caloocan, which is now known as UE Caloocan. In 1956 the College of Medicine was opened.

In 1956, the UE College of Medicine was established on a 10,000 sq. meter lot that had been owned by the Instituto de Mujeres. The College was established as a non-stock, non-profit corporation, affiliated with, but independent of the University of the East. Founded under the principle of “complete dedication to medical education, research and the alleviation of human sufferings”, it was the first philanthropic institution in the Philippines.

To maintain academic excellence, the Medical Center have sought voluntary accreditation in all its program offerings, with PAASCU. The Medicine program is Level IV accredited, the Nursing has Level IV accreditation and the Physical Therapy program has Level III accreditation. The Medical Center is classified as one of the 24 deregulated schools in the country and is set to pursue an “autonomous” status in the near future.

The UERMMMCI School campus and UERMM Hospital complex is along Aurora Boulevard, Quezon City. From Cubao, the Administrative building is at the right side of Aurora Boulevard while the UERMM Hospital is at the left side. Located in the heart of the metro, it is close to the majority of the city and since it is located along a major thoroughfare, public transport vehicles pass directly in front of the Medical Center. The university is near the LRT-2 V. Mapa Station and SM City Santa Mesa

The medical center is composed of a number of structures on opposite sides of Aurora Blvd., north and south.

The Administration Building houses classrooms of the College of Medicine and College of Allied Rehabilitation Sciences. The gymnasium building beside the Administration Building is used to support the physical education needs of the students.