There is one cardiologist for every 44,000 Filipinos nationwide, a limited number that leaves many patients outside the National Capital Region (NCR) with reduced access to specialized heart care, the Philippine Heart Association (PHA) said on Thursday, Feb. 5.

PHA national President Dr. Walid Amil said the situation is worsened by the concentration of specialists in the NCR or Metro Manila, where half of all cardiologists are based.

“Alam ninyo po ang cardiologist to the number of Filipinos sa ngayon one cardiologist for every 44,000 Filipino patients. So, talagang napakaliit pa rin ng ating cardiologist numbers ‘no and karamihan dito are still, 50 percent, nasa National Capital Region (You know, the ratio of cardiologists to Filipinos right now is one cardiologist for every 44,000 Filipino patients. So our number of cardiologists remains very small, and most of them, 50 percent, are still in the National Capital Region),” he said during an interview with state-run PTV-4.

He said the imbalance leaves many areas outside NCR with little to no access to cardiology services, making it difficult for patients to receive timely diagnosis and treatment for heart-related conditions.

To help address the shortage, Amil said the PHA is expanding its presence in underserved areas by increasing the number of chapters nationwide and encouraging cardiologists to serve communities with limited access to heart care.

“So, what we are doing now is to increase the number of chapters at saka encouraging our cardiologists to serve the underserved areas all over the country (So what we are doing now is to increase the number of chapters and encourage our cardiologists to serve underserved areas across the country),” he said.

The PHA president said that the association is also planning to establish subchapters in provinces that currently have no cardiologists.

“And we now have three new provincial chapters and we are coming up hopefully with subchapter sa mga areas na wala talagang cardio like Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi – magkakaroon tayo ng subchapter diyan (We now have three new provincial chapters and are hoping to establish subchapters in areas that truly have no cardiologists, such as Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi—we will have subchapters there),” he said.

Amil urged the public to value and protect their heart health, emphasizing that having only one heart makes proper care essential.

“And how we do take care? Number one, of course, healthy lifestyle, nandiyan po iyan lagi – eat the proper diet, avoid vices tapos encourage regular exercises. And regular na consult sa ating mga health professionals (And how do we take care of it? Number one, of course, is a healthy lifestyle—it is always emphasized: eat a proper diet, avoid vices, and engage in regular exercise. Regular consultation with health professionals is also important),” he said.

Data from the Department of Health’s Field Health Service Information System (FHSIS) showed that 36 percent, or one in three Filipinos, were affected by heart disease in 2024.