The provincial government of Cebu plans to fully digitalize its 12 district and four provincial hospitals to modernize medical services and speed up patient processing, officials announced following a meeting Saturday.

Governor Pamela Baricuatro discussed the initiative with the 16 hospital chiefs, along with officials from the Capitol’s Information Technology and Engineering Departments.

Health Consultant Dr. Elisse Nicole Catalan disclosed that the digitalization effort will centralize patient records and automate key systems, including diagnostics, billing, referrals, and supply management.

In the same meeting, officials prioritized the push to upgrade the Minglanilla District Hospital from an infirmary to a Level 1 facility accredited by the Department of Health (DoH).

This upgrade requires the facility to meet DoH standards for infrastructure, equipment and services, including establishing an operating theater, maternity wards, isolation facilities, a functional secondary clinical laboratory, a blood station, 1st level X-ray services, and a pharmacy.

It also necessitates an increase in the workforce, including doctors, nurses and support staff.

Catalan initiated a province-wide assessment of the 16 hospitals to enable the facilities to provide more comprehensive health care services to patients.

The Baricuatro administration has made health care its top priority, with the goal of expanding access to provincial and district hospitals while simultaneously addressing staffing shortages and infrastructure gaps.