Philippine Heart Center wins Specialty Hospital of the Year at Healthcare Asia Awards 2026

The facility was recognised for a programme which expanded access to specialised heart care across the country.

Philippine Heart Center received the Specialty Hospital of the Year (Cardiology) - Philippines at the Healthcare Asia Awards 2026 for its Regionalization Program: Bringing the Specialty Center Act to Life. The award recognised the hospital’s work in extending specialised cardiac services to regional government hospitals and operationalising Republic Act 11959.

The Regionalization Program was designed to address limited access to highly specialised cardiac care outside Metro Manila. Instead of concentrating services solely within its main facility in Quezon City, the hospital partnered with government hospitals across the country to strengthen their capacity to manage cardiac patients locally. Each engagement began with a readiness assessment, followed by clinical mentoring, skills transfer, systems guidance, and alignment with national referral pathways. The programme focused on transferring knowledge and building institutional capability so that services could continue beyond the initial engagement period.

Implementation progressed across 17 of 18 regions over a period spanning more than a decade. This expanded the geographic reach of specialised cardiovascular services and reduced the need for patients to travel to Metro Manila for treatment. Regional hospitals improved their ability to assess cardiac cases, coordinate referrals, and manage appropriate interventions within their facilities. The programme also clarified referral pathways between regional institutions and the national specialty centre. As of 2025, this program has helped 883 patients (779 pediatric, 104 adult) to receive life-changing surgical interventions.

In 2025, the hospital catered to a total of 67,610 patients and reported revenues of PHP4b. These figures reflected the scale of its operations whilst supporting both in-centre care and nationwide capacity-building activities. The Regionalization Program translated national policy into structured implementation, linking legislation with hospital-level execution and patient access to cardiac services.

Healthcare Asia Awards is an awards programme focused on acknowledging exceptional hospitals across Asia that redefine the standards of excellence in the healthcare industry. It proudly shines a spotlight on Asian hospitals that consistently go beyond conventional boundaries to provide top-tier patient care and have a lasting impact on their local communities.

The Healthcare Asia Awards is presented by Healthcare Asia Magazine. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2027 awards programme and be acclaimed for your organisation's remarkable initiatives and contributions to the healthcare industry, please contact Julie Anne Nuñez-Difuntorum at [email protected].