ILOILO City – Concerns over Boracay Island’s emergency medical referral system have resurfaced after a resident called out what she described as delayed coordination in the transfer of an 11-month-old boy needing urgent hospital care.
Cris Cahilig, a member of one of Boracay’s longtime families, submitted a formal complaint to officials of Malay town in Aklan, urging an immediate review of existing emergency response and patient transfer procedures on the island.
The complaint arose from a May 3 incident involving an infant whose family was in Boracay for a reunion. The child’s parents are based in Manila, although their clan roots trace back to Antique province.
According to the complaint, the boy suffered head trauma, later became drowsy, and eventually experienced seizures while still on the island, prompting doctors to recommend immediate transfer to a hospital in Kalibo.
Cahilig claimed that by early evening, hospital personnel had already coordinated with the receiving hospital and attending physician in Kalibo and had supposedly arranged transport through the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO).
She alleged, however, that the ambulance response was delayed and that responders on Boracay initially appeared unaware of the case.
The patient was later brought to Kalibo Asia Pacific Medical Center, where an attending physician reportedly confirmed the child had suffered head trauma before being brought to Ciriaco S. Tirol Memorial Hospital in Boracay. The doctor also noted that the child experienced three seizure episodes before arrival in Kalibo.
The infant was eventually stabilized and placed under observation, with doctors planning further diagnostic procedures, including an electroencephalogram (EEG), and administration of anti-seizure medication.
In social media posts accompanying her complaint, Cahilig criticized what she described as poor coordination and excessive focus on procedural limitations during emergencies.
“The referral system is broken,” she wrote, adding that the situation should be addressed before more lives are put at risk.
Boracay, while under the jurisdiction of the municipality of Malay, is physically separated from mainland Aklan by a narrow channel. Critically ill patients from the island usually need to be transported first by boat to Caticlan on the mainland before land ambulance transfer to hospitals in Kalibo or Iloilo City.
Because emergency referrals involve both sea and land transport, delays may arise from dispatch coordination, weather conditions, port access, and communication among agencies.
Cahilig’s complaint also raised concerns over referral timelines, coordination gaps, contingency measures, and transport-related costs imposed on patients and families during emergencies.
The issue has since reached the local government level.
In a separate communication dated May 7, Malay Sangguniang Bayan member Grengo T. Gelito, who chairs the committee on health and social services, asked Mayor Frolibar Bautista to convene the Local Health Board to discuss the municipality’s emergency referral and response system.
Gelito cited increasing public concern regarding coordination between responders, hospitals, transport providers, and emergency units serving both Boracay and mainland Malay.
The proposed meeting is expected to involve the Municipal Health Office, MDRRMO, Ciriaco S. Tirol Memorial Hospital, the Philippine Coast Guard, Rural Health Units, and other agencies involved in emergency operations.
Local officials are also looking into possible revisions to response protocols, standardization of referral timelines, and institutional reforms aimed at improving emergency medical services in the tourism island.
Municipal officials have yet to release an official statement directly addressing Cahilig’s complaint./PN
