Residents of Dumaguete City consistently rank as the top user of the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital, despite the City’s continued opposition to a critical expansion project that aims to address the worsening overcrowding crisis at the facility.
Admission records over the last five years reveal that Dumaguete residents consistently account for the largest share of NOPH patients—topping 6,000 in 2023 alone.
Dumaguete residents consistently made up a quarter of patients for the last five years, placing the city far ahead of other municipalities—150 percent higher than second-ranking Sibulan in 2024.
The provincial government’s plan to build an eight-story, 400-bed hospital complex has hit a regulatory wall.
In April, it filed a Verified Petition for Exception, seeking a waiver on Dumaguete’s building height limit. The request was denied by the City Zoning Officer, prompting an urgent appeal to the Board of Zoning Appeals.
As of last week, the Board has yet to issue a decision. The delay has effectively frozen progress on the expansion, despite the provincial government’s warning that postponement could endanger the welfare of the City’s most vulnerable residents.
In August 2024, NOPH hit a near-breaking point—housing 600 in-patients in a 250-bed facility, with dozens turned away daily from its packed emergency room.
Health authorities say the crisis is now a matter of life and death.
“These numbers show [how] Dumaguete residents have the most to gain from the NOPH Medical City,” said Provincial Health Officer Dr. Liland Estacion. “Yet, [the Dumaguete]City Hall seems more eager to fast-track private developments than solve a public health emergency.”
Records show that while the City withheld approval for the government-run medical facility that would serve thousands, the City government approved several taller structures in recent years, including the 11-storey Hotel Savii in 2021, along the National Highway in Daro; the 13-storey Hotel Lokai in 2022 along Silliman Ave.; and the 10-storey MCenter Medical Complex in 2023 along Sta. Catalina St.
Dr. Estacion said every day of delay makes patients suffer needlessly, noting that public frustration is rising.
Civic groups, medical professionals, and ordinary citizens have begun demanding transparency and action from the City government, urging it to act in the interest of public health.
Gov. Chaco Sagarbarria called on the Dumaguete City officials to set politics aside. “Our mission is to deliver quality healthcare for all. The lives of our constituents should never be [held] hostage to political gamesmanship,” he said. (PR)
