THE Davao City Health Office (CHO) said it will continue to improve its doctor-population ratio by hiring more doctors and adding more health districts.
CHO Head Dr. Tomas Miguel Ababon said the CHO’s current doctor-population ratio for each health district stands at 1:50,000 — a big improvement from the previous years’ ratio of 1 doctor to every 200,000 people.
“We are still continuing to create more districts para maduol ta sa ideal na doctor to population ratio which is one is to 20,000 population. So naga-hire ta og doctor. Nagapangayo mi og doctor nga dungag (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 during the Ispeak media forum on Thursday.
Ababon 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 added.
The recent opening of the Super Health Centers in Los Amigos and Toril and the eight more SHCs in the pipeline, he said, will also aid in achieving this end.
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 clients. 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 ang accessibility sa mga tao sa atong mga serbisyong panglawas nagaduol na siya and nagkadaghan pud ang mga serbisyo (So the public’s access to healthcare is closer and the number of services has increased),” Ababon added.
The creation of SHCs in Malabog and Dumoy is currently ongoing. The other seven SHCs will be established in Tamayong, Tibungco, Laverna, Catalunan Grande, Tacunan, Indangan, and Paquibato. CIO