Tanchuling General Hospital
Our History: Building a Legacy of Care and Compassion
Tanchuling General Hospital is a 50-bed tertiary hospital located in the Imperial Court Subdivision of Legazpi City, Albay. Construction began in January 1971, and the hospital opened its doors a year later, in January 1972.
The hospital was first envisioned by its founders, Dr. Vicente Nebres-Yap Tanchuling, an obstetrician-gynecologist, and his wife, Dr. Renee Baccay Tanchuling, a pediatrician. Dr. Vicente Tanchuling earned his medical degree from the University of the Philippines, Manila, and completed his residency training at Kings County Hospital in Queens, New York. Dr. Renee Tanchuling finished her medical studies at the University of Santo Tomas and completed her residency at Cornell University Hospital in New York. It was in New York where the couple met, married, and had their first child.
Despite their success in the United States, they felt a strong pull to return to their homeland and chose to move back to Bicol. Upon returning, they established a maternity and child clinic. Though their initial efforts did not meet their expectations, they gave themselves a two-year deadline to establish a successful practice, with the option to return to the U.S. if they were unsuccessful. During this time, the clinic began to gain recognition and grew into a small maternity and child hospital with a seven-bed capacity. Most of their cases were related to obstetrics, gynecology, and pediatrics. As their reputation grew, so did the number of patients seeking care at the hospital. By 1978, the hospital expanded to a 25-bed secondary facility and was renamed Tanchuling General Hospital. It then began catering to all types of patients and medical cases, not just maternal and child care.
In 1984, the hospital further evolved into a tertiary care facility with a 50-bed capacity, earning accreditation from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and several private insurance companies.
Today, Tanchuling General Hospital has become a multi-specialty institution with a dedicated staff of 120 nurses, medical allied professionals, and non-medical personnel, along with over 100 doctors specializing in various fields, including Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, Surgery (general, orthopedic, urologic, pediatric), Anesthesia, ENT, Radiology, Psychiatry, and Internal Medicine with subspecialties such as Cardiology, Hematology, Nephrology, Gastroenterology, Pulmonology, Infectious Diseases, and Neurology.
The hospital spans a land area of 1,600 square meters, with a floor area of 4,200 square meters. It houses an emergency room, operating room, delivery room, nursery, laboratory, nursing units, including a three-bed ICU, Radiology section (offering X-ray, ultrasound, and CT scan services), hospital kitchen, pharmacy, central sterilization and supply unit, a chapel, consultation rooms, and business offices. The hospital includes 25 private rooms, 10 semi-private rooms, and additional ward rooms.
Tanchuling General Hospital’s growth has been steady and progressive. In 2012, a renovation of the original facility began, and a six-station dialysis unit was opened, led by the current Chief of Clinics, Dr. Arnel Villanueva. In 2014, the hospital acquired a 16-slice CT scan, which has since surpassed patient expectations. By 2016, the hospital fully operationalized its newly renovated OR-DR complex, which now handles neurosurgery cases and has an active Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (TCVS) team for specialized operations, alongside general, urologic, and orthopedic surgeries. In the same year, an endoscopy unit was launched, performing daily procedures under the care of expert gastroenterologists. In 2017, the hospital opened the first outpatient hematology unit in the region, offering chemotherapy services in a more comfortable and cost-effective environment, supervised by a hematologist.
The hospital is currently completing renovations and constructing additional facilities to increase its capacity to 75 beds, as approved by the Department of Health (DOH). Tanchuling General Hospital remains dynamic, continuously adapting to the needs of its patients and community. The hospital is committed to continuing the legacy of Drs. Tanchuling by providing competent and compassionate care to the people of the Bicol Region and beyond.

