Health Secretary Ted Herbosa briefed the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) on the Department of Health’s (DOH) ongoing probe into hundreds of non-functional Super Health Centers (SHCs) across the country.
Herbosa presented preliminary data showing the status of 878 SHCs funded under the Health Facility Enhancement Program (HFEP) from 2021 to the present. Of the total, 365 are still under construction, 196 are operational, 17 are partially operational, while 300 remain non-operational.
In a statement following the meeting, the DOH said the figures are subject to further validation and investigation in coordination with the ICI.
The agency outlined several steps to improve accountability, including continued case-building for the non-operational centers—whose number rose from 297 to 300 and joint investigations with the ICI.
The department also announced plans to activate a Citizens Participatory Audit, which will allow the public to report idle or unfinished health facilities. Since the probe began, the DOH has already received multiple reports from citizens about incomplete SHCs.
Earlier this week, Herbosa personally inspected the Concepcion Dos SHC in Marikina and the Antipolo SHC to assess their status.
According to DOH data, the Concepcion Dos SHC was initially funded with ₱21.5 million under Phase 1 of the national SHC program. However, the project remains unfinished and overgrown with weeds. The Marikina local government redesigned the facility from a two-story primary care center into a four-story structure with a rooftop, raising the total cost to ₱201 million.
In Antipolo City, the local government received about ₱11.4 million in funding, ₱6.4 million for Phase 1 completed in October 2023, and ₱4.9 million for Phase 2 completed in July 2024.
The DOH also delivered ₱7 million worth of medical equipment to the city in 2022 and 2023 to help operationalize the facility.
Herbosa assured the commission that the DOH remains committed to ensuring all government-funded health facilities become fully functional, emphasizing transparency and accountability in the implementation of public health infrastructure projects.
