Church Medical Institutions
The care of the sick is another area of church concern. During the Spanish regime, hospitals
were supervised by the church.
In 1591, San Pedro Bautista, the proto-martyr of Japan, built the Hospital del Espiritu Santo on
a lot donated by Don Felipe Correo in Cavite Puerto. In 1640, the hospital was closed upon the
order of Don Sebastian Hurtado de Corcuera, the Governor general of the Philippines. He later
invited the Congregacion de San Juan de Dios who, in 1641, opened the Hospital de San Jose
better known as Hospital de San Juan de Dios. In 1875, the Hospital Marina de Canacao was
established in San Roque, Cavite. In 1878, it was given to the care of the Hijas de Caridad, and
the hospital was renamed Hospital de Nuestra Senora de los Dolores. These hospitals were closed
during the revolution.
At present, the church no longer runs medical institution except for the Despensario de Sta.
Luisa ran by the Hijas de Cariad in Tagaytay City. The SVD Fathers used to have their clinic for
the poor in front of their seminary in Tagaytay. The church, however, provides chaplaincy for
UMC Hospital and the JP Rizal Hospital in Dasmariñas.