DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY

The Department of Surgery of the Veterans Regional Hospital was formed in March
1983, during which time the three other clinical departments of Pediatrics, Internal
Medicine, and OB-Gyne were also established. Dr. Fidel Garlitos served as the first
Chairman of the department, with a staff of six physicians: Drs. Mario Anog, Froilan
Salvador, Rodolfo Hidalgo, Jr., Napoleon Obana, Ramoncito Garlitos, and Cirilo
Galindez. They were thus the first batch of surgeons in VRH.

In the many years that followed, the Department of Surgery slowly evolved and
improved with the addition of graduates from training programs in General Surgery
and Orthopedics, some of whom were former residents who eventually came back
to serve as medical specialists in VRH. In spite of the many setbacks along the way,
not the least of which is the difficulty in finding surgical resident physicians who
serve as first-line providers of surgical care to the ever-increasing population, the
Department of Surgery has remained steadfast in its pursuit of providing excellent
and dedicated service to patients requiring surgical treatment.

The new millennium has seen the Department of Surgery expand its services to
provide subspecialty surgical care. In 2012, VRH was designated as the Trauma
Center for the whole Cagayan Valley area. With the improvement of hospital
diagnostic and laboratory facilities, as well as infrastructure expansion to
accommodate a planned increase in hospital bed capacity, there is no doubt that the
Department of Surgery will once again be at the forefront of providing expert
surgical care in the region.

At present, the Department of Surgery provides emergent, in-patient, and outpatient

services in General Surgery and the following subspecialties: Orthopedics, Pediatric
Surgery, Urology, Burns, Neurosurgery, ENT-HNS, and Ophthalmology.
 DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY

Resident Staff (Medical Officers)

General Surgery
Joana Ariola
Sarah Kate Lanag
Charity Dangis
Giezelle Duro
Dixbie Medrano
Alvin Lorenzana

Orthopedics/Trauma
Welbert Reyes
Eliezer Ramos
Jason Bautista
Keiko Victoria
Gennielyn Lazaro
James Andrew Gonzales
John Glenn Reyes

Consultant Staff (Medical Specialists)

General Surgery
Raul Par
Tagumpay Maniquis
Excelsior Valdez
Cesar Tagayuna
Rodolfo Hidalgo, Jr.
Neil Gollaba
Ana Liza Torralba
Pediatric Surgery
Ma. Selina Rupisan
Orthopedic Surgery
Tirso Tabago, Jr.
Marciano Foronda
Arnulfo Fulgencio
Rodolfo Bravo, Jr.
Urology
Claudette Calata
ENT-HNS
Jaime Padre
Sherwin Valdez
Ophthalmology
Ethel Mauricio
Tricia Katrina Allas