Pasig residents with minor injuries and non-urgent illnesses may soon have an alternative to crowded hospital emergency rooms as the city government prepares to open its first Community Emergency Room (ER) facility in District 1.

Mayor Vico Sotto announced the plan during the city’s flag-raising ceremony, saying the project already has an approved budget and a completed program of work.

“If you only have a small injury or a minor illness and do not want to go to a hospital ER, just go to the community ER,” Sotto said.

The pilot facility will be launched in District 1, with the city planning to evaluate its performance before possibly setting up a second unit in District 2.

Sotto said the initiative is part of efforts to improve access to basic emergency care while reducing pressure on overstretched public hospitals.

He pointed to the Pasig City General Hospital (PCGH), where emergency rooms regularly experience overcrowding, long queues and limited space.

“For those who have been there, you know how cramped it is and how long the lines in our ER always are,” he said.