H3C × MMMH&MC: Transforming Healthcare with Unified Network Infrastructure

Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center (MMMH&MC), a leading government healthcare institution in Northern Philippines, continues its mission to provide quality healthcare amid increasing patient demand and expanded bed capacity. To align with the Department of Health’s mandate and improve healthcare service delivery, MMMH&MC recognized the urgent need to upgrade its aging and fragmented network infrastructure. Accordingly, MMMH&MC partnered with H3C to implement a comprehensive network upgrade.

The hospital’s reliance on multiple digital systems — including Electronic Medical Records (EMR), Hospital Information System (HIS), and Radiology Information System (RIS), Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS), Laboratory Information System (LIS)— necessitated a stable, secure, and centrally managed network backbone.

Prior to the upgrade, MMMH&MC faced critical IT challenges due to a mixed-vendor network environment lacking integration and centralized management. The legacy infrastructure hindered scalability and performance as bed capacity and digital workloads increased, resulting in network bottlenecks and slow system access. Without centralized monitoring, IT teams struggled with manual troubleshooting, leading to prolonged downtimes and inefficient incident resolution. These issues negatively impacted clinical workflows and patient care.

H3C Philippines actively worked on the design of a unified, high-performance network infrastructure that could scale with future growth and support mission-critical healthcare applications. The engagement process included multiple on-site assessments to understand operational workflows and identify network pain points. A tailored product portfolio presentation was done to address the scoped pain points.

H3C proposed a tiered network architecture comprising Core, Distribution, and Access layers, all centrally managed via an advanced Network Management System (NMS). The proposed solution was carefully designed to meet technical requirements. A comprehensive Proof of Concept (POC) was executed to validate system performance and compatibility in the hospital’s live environment.

Post-deployment, MMMH&MC realized immediate improvements in network stability, data flow, and system reliability. The unified backbone optimized traffic between departments and medical systems, reducing latency and enhancing operational efficiency. The centralized NMS empowered IT staff with full network visibility and proactive management capabilities, substantially reducing Mean Time to Repair (MTTR).

Medical professionals now benefit from reliable and fast access to critical systems like EMR, HIS, and PACS, facilitating more effective patient care. Crucially, the scalable infrastructure positions MMMH&MC to support ongoing digital transformation and future expansions confidently.

The successful network modernization project demonstrates how government hospitals can harness advanced IT solutions to elevate healthcare delivery standards. MMMH&MC’s upgraded infrastructure not only meets current demands but also aligns strategically with national health goals for expanded capacity and improved service quality. This initiative sets a benchmark for sustainable digital transformation in the Philippine public health sector.