St. Luke’s opens Evelyn Ang charity ward

St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City officially launched the Evelyn D. Ang/Dana Charity Ward on 24 November 2025, expanding the hospital’s mission to provide world-class healthcare to indigent and underserved Filipinos.

The ward is named in honor of Evelyn D. Ang, the late wife of major donor Philip Ang. Her niece, Carmina, described her as “a woman who lived with purpose and believed in doing what was right.”

She recalled how Mrs. Ang helped those with the least by supporting medical treatments for cancer patients, running feeding programs for children, and organizing disaster relief operations — all without seeking recognition or anything in return.

“Its mission embodies the spirit of service that Evelyn devoted herself to provide completely free medical care to indigent Filipino patients,” she said, highlighting that the ward reflects Ang’s lifelong commitment to service and compassion.

For St. Luke’s Medical Center President and CEO Dr. Dennis Serrano, the ward represents the hospital’s broader effort to reduce healthcare inequities and offer life-changing procedures to patients who would otherwise be unable to afford them.

It will serve both inpatient and outpatient charity beneficiaries across St. Luke’s Quezon City and Bonifacio Global City campuses.

“The Evelyn D. Ang/Dana Charity Ward represents the very heart of St. Luke’s mission: to bring world-class healthcare to every Filipino, regardless of background or circumstance,” Serrano said.

Rooted in the Sanskrit term dāna (दान), which means “the practice of selfless giving,” the ward’s name reflects the initiative’s purpose — to institutionalize generosity and transform it into sustainable access to healthcare.

The facility will have a 40-bed capacity for indigent and underserved Filipino patients from across the country. It is envisioned as a catalyst for broader systemic support in healthcare, especially in private hospital settings.

President of the St. Luke’s Medical Center Foundation Inc., Dr. Benjamin S. A. Campomanes Jr., emphasized that the ward is not only a facility but also a model of how philanthropy can create long-term impact.

“Evelyn D. Ang/Dana Charity Ward is more than a facility. It's really a movement of collective generosity,” he said.

“Each donation represents a life changed. It's a model of how generosity can be institutionalized to create systemic impact, helping families find hope and healing when they need it the most,” he added.

Campomanes also recounted the ward’s beginnings, which started with a lunch invitation from Mr. Philip Ang.

“While I doubted traveling a day to Ang’s place, I made the right decision,” he said, describing how one conversation set the foundation for integrating the charity ward into St. Luke’s healthcare system.

With the launch of the Evelyn D. Ang/Dana Charity Ward, hospital officials said the work does not end with the opening of its doors. Rather, it marks the beginning of a sustained effort to widen access to quality healthcare — built not only on technology and expertise but on compassion, community, and shared responsibility.

The ward, inspired by the values of its namesake, now stands as a reminder that healthcare, at its core, is an act of humanity.