The Seventh-day Adventist Church is preparing to expand its health ministry in Western Visayas as Holy Mary Hospital in Pavia, Iloilo, transitions to become Adventist Hospital Iloilo under the management of Adventist Medical Center Bacolod.
The development will establish an Adventist-operated hospital in Iloilo and open a new avenue for the church to provide professional health care and compassionate ministry to communities across the province and neighboring areas.
Holy Mary Hospital, located along Felix Gorriceta Avenue in Pavia, currently operates as a private health care institution. Public health directories identify the facility as a Level 2 hospital. Following the transition, it will operate as Adventist Hospital Iloilo, with Adventist Medical Center Bacolod providing management and institutional experience.
The development carries particular significance for Adventists on Panay Island, where the church has maintained a presence for more than a century. Generations of pastors, missionaries and church members have established congregations and ministries across the island. The addition of a health care institution expands that legacy into a ministry that can serve people regardless of religious background.
In announcing the development on his social media account, Pastor Mamerto Guingguing, president of the Adventist Church in the West Central Philippines, described the hospital as a significant milestone in the history of the Adventist Church on Panay Island.
“A century of Adventism in Panay Island is now beautifully enshrined with an extension of Christ’s healing ministry through this sanctuary of healing,” Guingguing wrote in a social media post announcing the development. “To God be the glory!”
Guingguing also expressed gratitude to leaders of the Southern Asia-Pacific Division (SSD) and the General Conference, as well as church members whose prayers supported efforts to establish an Adventist hospital in Iloilo.
“Our hearts are overflowing with gratitude to God our Father for this blessing,” he wrote, adding his appreciation for the support of church leaders and the “united prayers” of members.
Adventist health ministry follows the example of Jesus by caring for the whole person and combining professional health services with compassion, dignity and spiritual care. Through the new institution, the church seeks to serve individuals and families during some of their most vulnerable moments while contributing to the broader health needs of the community.
The hospital will also strengthen the Adventist health care network in Western Visayas. Adventist Medical Center Bacolod, located in neighboring Negros Occidental, brings experience in operating a faith-based medical institution and will help guide the transition and development of the Iloilo facility.
The announcement comes as the Adventist Church across the Southern Asia-Pacific region prepares for OneVoice27, a coordinated mission movement that encourages members, churches and institutions to participate in sharing hope. Its public-facing campaign, All Things New, carries the message, “Hope Starts Here.”
The connection reflects a broader vision for the new institution: that its mission will extend beyond providing medical treatment to creating a place where people can experience hope through compassionate service and Christ-centered care.
As preparations for the transition continue, Adventists across the region are praying for the hospital’s employees, medical professionals, patients and surrounding communities.
More than a century after the Adventist message first took root on Panay Island, Adventist Hospital Iloilo opens a new chapter in that continuing story — extending the church’s presence from congregations and community ministries into a place dedicated to healing and hope.