Pilar town officials rue on poor health services

Pilar town Vice Mayor Chiziline Maratas disclosed that, at present, they have no Municipal Health Officer (MHO) because of their town's distance to the mainland, separated by the sea.

- Avie Villa/RAE

Pilar, located on Ponson Island in the Camotes group, is just 7.2 kilometers away from southern Leyte's nearest landfall. With a population of around 12,000, Pilar remains the only fifth-class municipality in Cebu.

Local officials of Pilar, the northernmost town in Cebu province, raised urgent concerns over the lack of doctors and inadequate health facilities in their island during the Capitol's Caravan of Services on Thursday, August 7.

The town has no MHO, and most doctors assigned to the town leave after a short period due to its remote location.

“Wa gyu'y magdugay nag-doctor dinhi. We have Doctors to the Barrios, pero three years ra man na sila kasagaran,” said Maratas, adding that some doctors have left in as little as six months after.

The town's only Rural Health Unit (RHU) serves as the primary medical facility, but it is in dire need of rehabilitation due to old age.