𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐇 𝐒𝐘𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐌

PASIG CITY — Strengthening hospitals is essential, but Cebu Province’s Universal Health Care journey is moving toward a bigger goal: making sure that communities, primary care facilities, provincial hospitals and specialized facilities work together as one system for the patient.

This was the focus of Capitol Piso Health Consultant Dr. Nikki Baricuatro Catalan-Viscayno as she presented “Bridging Policy and Practice: The Cebu Experience in UHC” during the afternoon session of the 1st Unilab Foundation Executive Symposium on September 28.

Her presentation followed Gov. Pamela S. Baricuatro’s morning discussion on Cebu’s UHC journey and the Province’s push for an integrated Province-wide Health System.

Dr. Catalan-Viscayno shared how Cebu first worked to stabilize and strengthen its network of 16 Capitol-run hospitals. The number of doctors in the provincial system increased from 177 before July 2025 to 303 by May 2026, while nurses increased from 495 to 818. Permanent plantilla positions grew from 309 to 380, while hospitals with 24/7 medical technologist coverage increased from five of 16 to 15 of 16.

The Province has also expanded surgical and operating-room services, including in Bantayan; strengthened emergency, pediatric intensive care and mammography capacity at CPH-Carcar; and pursued infrastructure and Level 1 upgrading initiatives in Malabuyoc, Minglanilla, Argao, Daanbantayan, Tuburan and other areas.

Additional investments have brought blood-bank refrigerators, tuberculosis diagnostic capacity and cervical pre-cancer treatment equipment closer to Cebuano communities.

But improving individual hospitals, Dr. Catalan-Viscayno stressed, is only one part of the solution.

Cebu’s health system spans barangay health centers, municipal Rural Health Units, city health centers, the Province’s 16 hospitals, city-owned hospitals and tertiary or Level 3 facilities operated by other institutions. A single patient may therefore pass through several jurisdictions before receiving the appropriate level of care.

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐓𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐘𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐌

The 2025 earthquake and Typhoon Tino provided a real-world test of how these different parts of Cebu’s health system could coordinate during emergencies.

Following Typhoon Tino, widespread flooding raised concerns over leptospirosis. Through early planning, disease surveillance, prophylaxis, medicines and sanitation support, together with coordination among municipal health officers, RHUs, barangay health workers and communities, Cebu was able to prevent the anticipated surge in cases.

The immediate challenge, Dr. Catalan-Viscayno explained, is to “make the pieces talk to each other” throughout the patient journey—from barangay and primary care, to Capitol-run hospitals and apex facilities, and eventually back to the community for follow-up, rehabilitation and prevention.

Among the measures being pursued are greater use of the Central Visayas e-Referral system, stronger coordination with primary-care and apex facilities, infrastructure and diagnostic improvements, and continuing training for barangay health workers, barangay nutrition scholars, municipal health officers and clinicians.

Cebu is also strengthening its future health workforce through Practice-Based Residency Training with Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center Family Medicine and DOH-Central Visayas, with an initial batch of 12 doctors training while serving in Capitol-run hospitals. The Province also has 72 medical scholars.

𝐓𝐎𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐄-𝐖𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐇 𝐒𝐘𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐌

The longer-term direction is to connect Cebu’s 44 municipalities and six component cities, provincial hospitals, DOH, PhilHealth, and private and academic partners through shared governance, priorities, referrals, financing and data.

Importantly, integration is not about taking health responsibilities away from LGUs. It is about enabling every locality to benefit from a health network stronger than what any one LGU could build alone.

Three areas were identified as crucial: establishing a common framework and referral system among participating LGUs; determining how pooled resources under the Special Health Fund will be governed and utilized; and developing shared, evidence-based health priorities across Cebu.

“The challenge is no longer only to improve individual facilities. It is to make the whole pathway reliable,” the presentation emphasized.

Dr. Catalan-Viscayno later joined a panel with Antique Gov. Paolo Everardo S. Javier, Quezon Provincial Health Officer Dr. Kristin Mae-Jean M. Villaseñor, Romblon Provincial Health Officer Dr. Lino Marcus Viola III, Isabela City Health Officer Dr. Mohrein Ismael, and Bacolod City Supervising Administrative Officer Jean J. Castaneda, as discussions expanded to the financing and national policy environment needed for UHC implementation.

For Cebu, the day’s discussions reinforced the direction presented by both Gov. Pam and Dr. Catalan-Viscayno: better hospitals matter, but Universal Health Care becomes meaningful when the entire patient journey works—regardless of which facility, LGU or level of government a Cebuano needs along the way.

𝘾𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙝𝙤𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚: 𝘾𝙖𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙤𝙡 𝙋𝙄𝙊