THE Cebu Provincial Capitol has hired 171 new medical professionals, including 158 nurses and 13 doctors, to address the shortage of healthcare workers in the province.
The new hires were inducted during a ceremony at the Capitol Social Hall on Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025.
The new staff will be deployed to various provincial and district hospitals, including facilities in Balamban, Bogo City, Carcar City, and Danao City as part of Governor Pamela Baricuatro’s hiring drive to improve healthcare services.
The 13 new doctors include one anesthesiologist, three internal medicine specialists, and nine general practitioners.
Three doctors will be assigned to Ricardo Maningo Memorial Hospital in Camotes Island, where the lack of healthcare workers has been a consistent issue.
One of the new hires is Dr. John Clyde Dumaya, a 27-year-old general practitioner who just passed the medical board exam a few months ago in March 2025.
In an interview with SunStar Cebu, Dumaya said his application process took two months with direct application to the Provincial Health Office (PHO).
“I think the province really needs medical professionals because my relatives from provinces always say their problem is always access to healthcare delivery, because there is a lack not just in services but the manpower itself,” he said in a mix of Cebuano and English.
He described his first hospital duty as “nerve-wracking” as it was his first time to work in a hospital.
According to Capitol health consultant Elisse Nicole Catalan, the new hires represent a small portion of the more than 1,600 healthcare workers needed to fully staff the province’s 16 hospitals.
She clarified that the required number of nurses and doctors and their specialization will depend on the level of the hospital.
The Provincial Government is working to streamline the hiring process and is exploring incentives to attract and retain staff.
Catalan also said the Capitol is still accepting applicants.
Salaries for the new employees range from P38,000 for nurses (Salary Grade 15) to between P69,000 and P71,000 for doctors. / CDF