For provincial and district hospitals: 78 doctors needed

CEBU, Philippines — Amid an acute shortage of healthcare professionals in provincial and district hospitals, Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro has ordered the immediate hiring of 78 medical doctors.

The directive follows a two-week inspection by health officials, which revealed systemic challenges across government-run hospitals, including understaffing and surging patient loads.

The new hires aim to strengthen the delivery of medical services in affected facilities and ensure timely care for communities increasingly burdened by limited medical access.

Dr. Elisse Nicole Catalan, Baricuatro's daughter and Public Health Consultant, led the hospital visits along with Provincial Health Officer Dr. Mary Ann Josephine Arsenal.

This is where they raised the recommendation to Baricuatro after personally hearing concerns from medical staff during their rounds.

Dr. Catalan said that one of the most pressing issue that surfaced was the shortage of healthcare personnel, which she described as a major obstacle in delivering effective and timely healthcare services to constituents.

“Kakuwangan sa manpower jud. Dako kaayo na nga factor,” said Catalan in an interview.

The governor’s office responded swiftly to the recommendation, prioritizing the recruitment of additional doctors to be stationed in various hospitals throughout the province.

To date, the Capitol has received at least 1,858 applications for various healthcare positions, including nurses, dentists, radiologic technologists, and medical technologists. Screening and profiling of applicants are actively ongoing.

Baricuatro reaffirmed that improving health care services remains her topmost priority since this is also her promise to the constituents during the campaign season.

Mobile clinics to rollout in August

This August, in celebration of the province’s Founding Anniversary, the mobile clinic initiative will officially begin its rollout.

Initially slated to launch in early July, the rollout has been rescheduled for August to allow for a more comprehensive deployment.

“We don't want to do it hastily, so ig August naa natay mogawas na mobile clinics especially sa Islands,” said Catalan.

The scheduled dates for the mobile clinics are August 8-9 for Camotes Island and August 15-16 for Bantayan Island.

These mobile units will form part of the medical services offered during the celebration of Cebu Province’s Charter Month.

The mobile clinics are expected to offer diagnostic and preventive health services, including X-rays, blood pressure monitoring, diabetes testing, dental checkups and among others.

Apart from that, Catalan shared that there will be private doctors and volunteer medical mission groups who will also join the effort by conducting visits across the province in August.

The larger vision, is to implement an integrated health System where provincial services are closely aligned with community-based healthcare providers and facilities.

On-the-ground visits

During her visits to almost half of the province’s district and provincial hospitals, Catalan was joined by PHO’s OIC Dr. Arsenal and Provincial Engineer Engr. Hector Jamora to assess not just human resources but also the physical state of health infrastructure.

Structural assessments were done simultaneously to identify and address deficiencies in hospital facilities, ensuring that both personnel and infrastructure improvements go hand-in-hand.

Among the findings were shortages in both medicine supplies and medical staff—highlighting the urgency of the governor’s intervention.

Catalan emphasized that they also study the hospital referrals from barangay-level health centers to district hospitals.

The governor in previous interviews shared that the administration's long-term healthcare plan includes building a resilient referral mechanism, enhancing training for local health units, and deploying sufficient medical personnel at each step of the health system. — (FREEMAN)