Cebu beefs up medical workforce, taps more doctors, nurses

Local

CEBU Province's provincial and district hospitals medical workforce has been beefed up as the number of doctors and nurses almost doubled in the last 10 months.

According to Capitol health consultant Dr. Elisse Nicole Catalan, the number of doctors increased from 177 doctors prior to July 1, 2025 to 303 as of May 2026.

These doctors were assigned to four provincial and 12 district hospitals.

As of May 17 this year, nurses hired reached 818. The number of permanent plantilla healthcare personel also grew to 380 from 309.

Just recently, 85 Capitol health workers took oath after gaining permanent positions and promotion.

Catalan also highligthed the expanded 24/7 hospital services, with 15 out of 16 Capitol-run hospitals now operating 24/7.

She said the growing health manpower is not just numbers, as this means "more doctors attend to patients, more nurses on duty during emergencies, more healthcare workers staying in the system, and more hospitals able to serve Cebuanos day and night.”

Aside from hiring more personnel, the province is also improving the facilities and equipment of Capitol-run hospitals.

Currently, the Oslob District hospital is undergoing a renovation of its emergency room and construction of an ambulance and maintenance building, replacement of interior ceiling and other upgrades worth P15.442 million.

The Capitol is also planning to partner with a Cebu-based international pharmaceutical company to supply laboratory equipment and reagents for all of the 16 provincial and district hospitals.(MyTVCebu)