The establishment of a tertiary hospital dedicated to children was inspired from the commemoration of the International Year of the Child in 1979 which had a theme of "Mankind owes to the child the best it has to give". Then-President Ferdinand Marcos issued Presidential Decree No. 1631 on August 10, 1979 establishing the Philippine Children's Medical Center as the "Lungsod ng Kabataan". The hospital was inaugurated on April 29, 1980, in a ceremony attended by Princess Margaret of the United Kingdom. On June 23, 1980, under then the Minister of Human Settlements, First Lady Imelda Marcos, the hospital became operational. The hospital adopted its current name on January 12, 1987 through Memorandum Order No. 2 issued by the Malacañang Palace. PCMC began with 47 active medical staff composed of recognized pediatricians and pediatric surgeons who pioneered the 4 clinical services initially offered, to wit: Ambulatory, In-Patient Care, Surgery, and Critical Care. At about the same time, the Department of Laboratories and the Physical Rehabilitation Unit were also established and became fully operational. From 1983 to 1985, PCMC expanded its activities in patient care services, Residency and Fellowship training, and in continuing medical education. Improvement in physical infrastructure and the creation of more service components became the focus toward the late 1980s. Pediatric subspecialties such as Neonatology, Pulmonology, Nephrology, Cardiology, Hematology, and Allergology under the Department of Pediatric Medicine, as well as Anesthesia under the Department of Pediatric Surgery were subsequently established. In line with the PCMC vision to be the premier Pediatric Center of the country, the Child Neuroscience Department, the Center for Developmental Intervention, Perinatology Department and Research Department were likewise created. With its goal of strengthening the tertiary care facilities of the institution, Pediatric Dentistry, and Child Psychiatry were formed in 1989. Throughout the 1990s, PCMC continued to improve its operations. Various innovative activities under the Committee of Primary Preventive and Promotive Programs were organized. Institutional highlights during the turn of the century introduced new Fellowship Training Programs such as Pediatric Radiology and Pediatric Gynecology. Under the leadership of Dr Julius A. Lecciones who has been Executive Director since 2006, the PCMC has maintained Level IV training hospital accreditation, with an authorized 212-bed capacity, serving patients from newborn to 19 years old, as well as high-risk pregnant women.
Facilities and services
The PCMC host the largest ICU for children in the Philippines It has the biggest neonatal intensive care unit that is integral to the Perinatal Care and Neonatology Center. Its Child Neurology and Neurosurgery Service Program, inclusive of a neurodevelopment center. It has a pediatric rehabilitation facility and a pediatric multi-specialty for inpatients, as well as for clinic service to out-patients and referrals. Among these are the Cancer and Hematology Center; Adolescent Center ; Pediatric Lung, Heart, Kidney and Liver Center; Pediatric Critical Care Center, and; the Clinical Centers for General Pediatric Services and Surgical & Allied Medical Services, respectively. In July 2013, the newly constructed OPD building was finally opened to accommodate the increasing number of service patients being referred to PCMC for specialty care. PCMC also partnered with Rotary Club Makati West- Gift of Life International, an international non-government organization, which give way for two open-heart surgery missions for service patients with congenital heart diseases who needed cardiac surgeries. Later during this year, it began its hospital-wide retrofitting, an infrastructure improvement to strengthen the building and to secure safety of clients being served.
The PCMC was awarded the Salamin ng Bayan Award in 1992 and 1994, Buhay Award in 1995, National Public Service Award in 1997, and the Three Star Excellence Award in 1998, Quezon City Most Outstanding Organization in 2012, and the most recent achievement that it received in 2013 is the ISO Certification in Pediatric Specialized Healthcare Services and Pediatric Dental, Diagnostics and Laboratory Services.
