The Bohol Provincial Health Office said the lack of specialists willing to work around-the-clock at Level 1 district hospitals is forcing patient referrals to Tagbilaran City, where the main government hospital is already overcrowded.
Dr. Fruserma Mary Uy, head of the provincial health office, said district hospitals can provide a wide range of medical services but are hampered by the limited presence of specialists.
“Another challenge would be our specialists. As of now, the scenario is that district hospitals with Level 1 facilities can do a lot of services. The problem is there are no specialists who stay and are willing to stay 24/7,” Uy said in a mix of English and Cebuano.
Because of the shortage, surgical cases and other major procedures are now scheduled instead of accommodated at any time, she said.
Uy added that although the province has contracted many specialists, they still cannot stay in provincial facilities the whole day.
On days when no specialist is on duty, district hospitals must refer patients to larger hospitals in Tagbilaran for proper medical attention, she said.
Uy also cited the lack of public hospitals along the East Bohol Road as the main cause of the influx of patients at the Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital in Tagbilaran. Traveling from Ubay to Tagbilaran, the only government hospital is in the town of Jagna, she said.
“Between Tagbilaran and Jagna, there is no more government facility where people can go. There is a hospital, but it is private,” Uy said in Cebuano.
She added that along the interior road, the hospital in Carmen is the only one that can be relied upon. With no other public hospital near other towns, patients are forced to rush to Tagbilaran, she said.
To address the gap, Uy said the provincial government, under Gov. Aris Aumentado, is moving ahead with construction of a new hospital in the town of Loay.
The facility is expected to serve residents of Loboc, Loay and areas beyond Jagna.
Uy said an Oct. 22 update from the Provincial General Services Office showed the project is ready for “boring” operations.
She also confirmed that the Department of Health has allocated initial funding for the construction.
Uy also disclosed ongoing work on a larger hospital in the town of Loon, which is expected to have a capacity of 75 to 100 beds.
Separately, hospital legal counsel Peter Emman M. Mende said the zero balance billing program, which allows qualified patients to receive free health services, is one reason for the influx at Gallares.
Patients also choose the hospital because of its nearly complete facilities, including MRI, CT scan and X-ray, as well as its many doctors, he said.
Despite those services, congestion continues because of the large number of patients the hospital accepts, Mende said.
The hospital’s total annual income is P1 billion pesos, of which an estimated P800 million pesos goes to patient treatment, he said.
Some patients have treatment bills of up to P1.5 million pesos but no longer have to pay because of benefits under the Universal Health Care and PhilHealth programs, Mende said.
Even patients who can afford private hospitals choose Gallares because of the free services, he added.
Mende acknowledged that because of limited space and the large patient volume, not all needed services can be provided immediately at times, especially in the outpatient department.
He said the situation shows the need to expand the hospital’s capacity to meet growing public demand for health services.