UST Hospital Verified listing

The University of Santo Tomas Hospital (commonly referred to as UST Hospital or USTH) is an established hospital situated within the campus of the University of Santo Tomas. The institution comprises two distinct divisions: a clinical teaching hospital that provides low-cost medical care and training opportunities primarily for indigent and underserved patients, and a private hospital that caters to patients able to pay for services. Revenues from the private hospital are used in part to subsidize the clinical division, helping sustain its charitable mission and educational functions.

UST Hospital represents the third clinical hospital associated with the University of Santo Tomas. The university’s first formal arrangement for clinical instruction dates back to an 1875 order by King Alfonso of Spain, which integrated medical instruction with the Franciscan hospital San Juan de Dios, itself originally established in 1577. Over time and through various administrative changes, the university was linked with other facilities such as the Quezon Institute and St. Paul’s Hospital. However, much of the campus and its hospital infrastructure were destroyed in February 1945 during the Liberation of Manila in World War II.

In the immediate postwar period, with supplies purchased from the United States Army and funds borrowed from Elizalde and Company, the university undertook reconstruction and built a new hospital facility to restore clinical services and teaching functions. The charity unit of the rebuilt hospital opened its doors on February 15, 1945, followed by the opening of the private, pay hospital on March 7, 1946. Over the subsequent decades, the hospital expanded its capacity and services, culminating in the integration of its various units with the completion of the University of Santo Tomas Hospital quadrangle in 1959.

Throughout its history, UST Hospital has been a pioneer in several areas of Philippine healthcare. It was among the early institutions to offer genetic counseling services in the country, establishing a prenatal diagnostic clinic in 1984 to support maternal-fetal health and early detection of genetic conditions. The hospital continued to broaden its specialty care, opening a pediatric intensive care unit three years later to provide critical care services for severely ill children.

More recently, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the hospital faced significant financial challenges. It reported financial losses related to unpaid claims from the national health insurer PhilHealth, as well as underpayment for some COVID-19 patient cases. In response to the financial strain, management considered retrenchment of non-essential staff as a cost-saving measure, though implementation of widespread layoffs was deferred and not immediately carried out. The institution has had to navigate the dual pressures of maintaining its charitable mission and ensuring financial sustainability in a turbulent public health and economic environment.