Bethel Baptist Hospital

The hospital was founded from a small medical building established about 1946-1948 by two Association of Baptists for World Evangelism (ABWE) nurses: Rhoda Little and Jeanne Waggoner. It began to grow in 1949, when Dr. Lincoln Nelson, a Naval Physician, and Mrs. Nelson, RN joined the team, and when in 1951, and Mr. Esson, a pharmacist and Mrs. Esson, RN joined the team in 1951. By 1955, the clinic had 9 hospital beds, an x-ray machine, an operating room, digital radiography room, nursery, and a laboratory. In August 1963, a surgeon named Dr. Antonio Maravilla was the first Filipino doctor to join the medical team. He later became the first Filipino Medical Director in 1966.[1][2][3]

On November 3, 1973, Bethel Baptist Clinic became the Bethel Baptist Hospital Inc. and was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A new building was opened in 1996, which expanded it from 19 beds to 50 beds, upgraded the facilities, and had an accredited tertiary level laboratory. In 2013, Bethel Baptist Hospital opened a new wing, named the Nelson Wing in honor of the founding medical missionary, and making it a 68-bed healthcare institution with an intensive care unit.[1][2]

In partnership with the local church, BBH also has a teaching and equipping ministry for local pastors through the Practical Pastoral Studies (PPS), a church planting and support ministry, and serving nearby communities through medical and surgical missions, health education initiatives and feeding programs.[1]