DOH flags 297 'non-operational' Super Health Centers
List of SHCs, including P21-M Marikina facility, to be submitted to Independent Commission for Infrastructure on Oct. 17
Published Oct 15, 2025 03:53 pm
DOH Secretary Ted Herbosa flags 297 non-operational Super Health Centers nationwide, including a P21.4-million Marikina facility left unfinished since 2023 amid project changes and ballooning costs. (Screenshot from DOH / Facebook)
The Department of Health (DOH) has flagged 297 Super Health Centers (SHCs) across the country as non-operational, including a P21.4-million facility in Concepcion Dos, Marikina City that remains unfinished years after construction began.
DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa on Wednesday, October 15, led an inspection of the Marikina SHC and found that the supposed four-storey health center remains stuck at Phase 1—a steel foundation now overgrown with weeds and bushes.
The site inspection was posted live on DOH’s Facebook account.
“This is P21 million of your taxes,” Herbosa said, pointing to the incomplete site. “It was started in December 2023 and should have been completed, but it’s already 2025—yet no health services have started here,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Herbosa likened the unfinished structure to a “manananggal”—a mythical creature with half a body—saying that “the upper part is missing while the base is there.”
Project changes, ballooning costs
According to the DOH, initial records indicate that the Concepcion Dos Super Health Center was funded in 2022 for P11.5 million, intended for a two-storey, medium-sized facility.
However, Herbosa noted that the local government unit (LGU) later revised the plan to a four-storey structure with a rooftop, increasing the projected cost to P21.4 million for Phase 1 alone, with an additional P180 million needed for the succeeding phases.
In total, the upgraded project could cost up to P201 million, according to Herbosa.
“The original plan was already enough to operate as a primary health care facility,” Herbosa said. “But the change in plans delayed the project and increased costs significantly,” he added.
The DOH explained that Super Health Centers and Barangay Health Centers are under the governance of LGUs, although the DOH may provide funding support based on assessed needs.
DOH probe: 297 centers in limbo
Herbosa confirmed that 297 Super Health Centers nationwide remain incomplete or non-functional, despite budget allocations dating back to 2021.
“We discovered that some were completed but not operational, while others were left in varying stages of construction,” he said. “We need to find out how to make them serve the people as soon as possible,” he added.
The DOH will submit the list of idle SHCs to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) on October 17 as part of the department’s continuing investigation into delayed or stalled projects.
According to the DOH, a medium-sized health center can be built for about P12 million under the agency’s standard facility nomenclature—far below the amount being spent on some of the upgraded SHC projects.
Push for accountability and operational use
Herbosa emphasized that as both a physician and Health Secretary, his priority is to ensure that every funded health facility becomes operational and accessible to communities.
The DOH chief also stressed that health centers must not only exist on paper or as construction sites but must be functional facilities where patients can actually seek care.
The DOH said it will continue to inspect Super Health Centers nationwide to verify their completion status and ensure that local governments adhere to proper planning, transparency, and public accountability.