CHO Head Dr. Tomas Miguel Ababon said the CHO’s current doctor-population ratio for each health district is at 1:50,000, which is a big improvement from the previous ratio years of 1 doctor to every 200,000 people.
“We are still continuing to create more districts to get us closer to the ideal doctor to population ratio which is one to 20,000 population. So we are hiring doctors. We are asking for additional doctors,” Ababon said in a report from the City Information Office.
He said these numbers can only be improved by creating more health districts and hiring more doctors to bring medical services closer to the public. There are 18 district health centers in the city.
Decreasing the doctor-population ratio in the city will not only make essential medical services more accessible to Dabawenyos but will also ensure the quality of healthcare they will receive, Ababon further said.
The recent opening of the Super Health Centers (SHC) in Los Amigos and Toril and eight more SHCs in the pipeline, he said, will also aid in improving the city's medical services.
Aside from decongesting public hospitals, particularly the Southern Philippines Medical Center, the new facilities will also expand the range of medical services the CHO can offer to its patients.
The SHCs are equipped with x-ray, ultrasound and electrocardiogram machines and other laboratory equipment that are not present in most district health centers.
“So the public’s access to healthcare is closer and the number of services has increased,” he said.
The SHCs in Malabog and Dumoy are currently on process while other seven SHCs will also be established in Tamayong, Tibungco, Laverna, Catalunan Grande, Tacunan, Indangan, and Paquibato.