President Vincent M. Remo said that if Western Visayas is to become the HIMS capital of the world, the best bet would be on talent, on the people, and of course, balanced with infrastructure.
Initial data from the Iloilo Federation for Information Technology (IT) or IFIT showed that, as of August this year, there are 22 HIMS locators in Region 6 that offer healthcare services with an estimated 10,700 full-time employees. This is further supported by about 18 health-related courses offered by medical schools in the region.
West Visayas State University (WVSU) President Dr. Joselito F. Villaruz during the discussion with experts and stakeholders noted that the WVSU, as the region's premier higher educational institution on medical programs, will also look into opening special programs and curriculum revisions to integrate HIMS.
“We have already hired several part-time faculty members coming from the industry to be closely working with our academic faculty. Because we believe that our curriculum should be designed based on the industry needs, a curriculum that will address the employability of our future graduates,” Villaruz said.