𝟔-𝐇𝐑 𝐂𝐄𝐁𝐔 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐕’𝐋 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐇 𝐁𝐎𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐒, 𝐑𝐄𝐇𝐀𝐁 𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑, 𝐄-𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐀𝐋 𝐒𝐘𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐌
It was a marathon session that stretched to six hours, the longest since the start of Gov. Pamela Baricuatro’s administration.
But for the members of the Provincial Health Board (PHB), the length of the fifth meeting was proof to the heavy lifting required to overhaul Cebu’s healthcare system.
“Health system reform is not glamorous work,” Capitol Piso Health Consultant Dr. Nikki Catalan said following the extensive board meeting. “It is long, technical, sometimes difficult, but absolutely necessary if we want real, lasting improvements in care for every Cebuano.”
Among the highlights were updates on province-wide health initiatives across Capitol-run hospitals and community programs, including progress reports on existing memoranda of agreement and ongoing medical-surgical missions serving underserved areas.
PHB members also reviewed the continued implementation of the Health Facility Development Plan for provincial hospitals and discussed strengthening road safety programs as part of preventive public health efforts. Strategic planning and priority-setting for the board’s direction were also taken up.
A key agenda item was the endorsement supporting the formal establishment of the New Life Cebu Drug Rehabilitation Center at the Dr. Jose Ma. V. Borromeo Memorial Hospital in Pinamungajan town. The board’s action aims to strengthen the policy and operational framework for substance use disorder rehabilitation services and reinforce the province’s commitment to mental health care and comprehensive recovery programs.
The PHB also heard a presentation on a proposed partnership with the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc., focusing on community-based programs, system development and sustainable initiatives.
The board emphasized the importance of multi-sector collaboration to improve service delivery throughout Cebu Province.
During a special session on the province’s electronic referral system or e-referral system, mayors and members of the 17th Sangguniang Panlalawigan were invited to participate. Health officials presented referral statistics, utilization data and system performance reports, identifying operational gaps, coordination issues and misinformation challenges affecting patient flow.
The PHB approved a resolution creating the Cebu Province Health Referral Committee to strengthen coordination across hospitals and other health care facilities, with the goal of improving efficiency and ensuring patients receive timely and appropriate care at the correct level of service.
Despite the lengthy session, Dr. Catalan underscored what she described as a shared commitment to address gaps in the system, build on existing programs and develop a more responsive and coordinated provincial health network.
She thanked members of the health board for their participation, noting that extended meetings reflect the administration’s focus on delivering safe, timely and quality health care to every Cebuano. /𝑪𝑨𝑷𝑰𝑻𝑶𝑳 𝑷𝑰𝑶, 𝑷𝒉𝒐𝒕𝒐𝒔 𝒃𝒚 𝑨𝑺𝑪
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