The ILOILO DOCTORS’ COLLEGE was established on February 13, 1972 as the Iloilo Doctors’ Hospital School of Nursing and Midwifery. It opened its doors to the first Nursing and Midwifery students in June 1972. At its inception, the school functioned as the educational arm of the ILOILO DOCTORS’ HOSPITAL (IDH) which was founded the year before.
After a year of operation, the members of the IDH, Incorporated decided that it would be more efficient, practical, and financially convenient to organize a sister corporation which will own and operate the new school. Hence, the INTEGRATED EDUCATIONAL CORPORATION, ILOILO or IECI was formed and subsequently approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 9, 1973. With new capital funds generated by the new corporation, the construction of additional and permanent concrete buildings and expansion of the existing facilities were undertaken on the school site behind IDH. Later, a 1,200-seat College Gymnasium and a 50 x 25-foot swimming pool and bathhouse were built on the nearby campus on Timawa Avenue.
The first Midwifery students were graduated in March 1974 followed by the graduation of the first Nursing students on March 15, 1975. The Medical Secretarial Course was also opened in 1974. On June 2, 1975 the graduate in Nursing and Midwifery Courses were given government recognition.
In the same school year, 1975-1976, the IDH School opened a Liberal Arts Department. As a consequence, the IDH School of Nursing and Midwifery was granted college status and formally became the present ILOILO DOCTORS’ COLLEGE after due approval by the Department of Education (now CHED) and the Securities and Exchange Commission. The School was therefore now able to offer another baccalaureate program, the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Course, during the same year and the General Nursing (G.N.) program was gradually phased out.
The ensuring years from 1976 to 1981 saw the offering of new courses and programs mostly in the paramedical health fields, such as the BSN Supplemental Course, Health Aide, Radiologic Technology, B.S. Biological Science (Pre-Medicine) and Pre-Dentistry. In addition, other courses were also opened, namely, B.S. Social Work, B.S. Tourism, High School, and Kindergarten. Later, several of the above course in Biological Science, Nursing, Radiologic Technology, Midwifery, and Pre-Dentistry, Medical Secretarial and Health Aide courses remained.
In July 1981, the ILOILO DOCTORS COLLEGE OF MEDICINE (IDCM) was opened in consortium with the West Visayas State College (WVSC), a government school in Iloilo City, in answer to the need for more physicians to take care of the health needs of the small urban and rural populations of the country. The Medical School was housed in the second and third floor of the IDC Administrative Building. Two years after, during the school year 1983-1984, the Ministry (now Commission on Higher Education) granted the College of Medicine a separate permit making it autonomous and independent of the WVSC. On March 30, 1985, the College of Medicine graduated its first doctors who passed the physician licensure (board) examination the following year with 100% passing mark. On July 24, 1987, the College of Medicine was established as a non-stock, non-profit educational corporation independent of the IDC and became officially known as the Iloilo Doctors’ College of Medicine, Inc.
In June 1982, the School of Dentistry was opened to meet the need for dentists in this part of the country. It was set up at the extension campus on Timawa Avenue where the College Gymnasium is located. The School graduated its first dentists on April 1, 1986.
In response to the need of time and with the advancement in technology, additional courses like: BS Criminology, BS Commerce, BS Medical Technology, BS Social Work, BS Physical Technology, BS Information Technology, BS Information Management, BS Computer Science, were offered by the college.
The expansion of the educational operations of the IDC necessitated substantial additions to its physical plant and facilities. In 1985, an extension of the left wing of the Administration Building was constructed to house the IDC Medical and College Libraries. Additional instructional laboratories and offices of the College of Medicine and the IECI were built. Early in 1983, a three-storey concrete building which was constructed on the South Timawa Campus was later assigned to the College of Nursing.
In 2000, the college opened its door to pre-school and kindergarten with the opening of the Child Learning Center.
In 2004, with increasing number of nursing students, the College constructed another three storey building in the nursing campus which also houses the midwifery lying in clinic.
In 2005, a covered gymnasium was also built in the nursing campus which serves as a venue for co-curricular activities of the college such as literary musical contest; it has also been a place for Regional PRISAA meet.
In 2006, construction of the three storey building intended for additional classrooms that will cater to the increasing population of the college. This building will also serve as the new home of the Administration Offices such as the Business Office, Cashier, Office of the Student and Alumni Affairs, Registrar’s Office, Executive Offices, Office of the Administration and the new Board Room and Main Library. The Classrooms are operational and the Main Library located at the 3rd floor began its construction last March 2011 while the Administrative Offices are being worked towards completion.
In 2011, IDC announced its new opening of its new courses: Bachelor of Science in Psychology (under the College of Arts and Sciences) and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration which specialized in Human Resource Development Management and Financial Management (under the College of Business Administration formerly the College of Commerce). The Child Learning Center was granted authority to operate the Elementary Level Grades I and II for the School Year 2011-2012.
There have been quite a number of the IDC graduates who figured remarkably in their respective licensure examinations and are successful in their respective professional fields, both public and private.