Located right on Fuente Osmea, Chong Hua Hospital is a Chinese-owned modern complex which started off as a self-help organization for the ethnic Chinese community, Associasion Benevola de Cebu. A new tower has just been completed, and the interior is impressively decorated with green glass and dark wood panelling. Chong Hua has recently been spending a lot of money on new equipment, such as the state-of-the-art ultrasound machines. I believe they even have a sleep-disorder lab. The suites on the 11th floor of the new building are favored by the rich and powerful of Cebu. Doctors' offices are located in a separate building, the Medical Arts Center, half a kilometer to the back of the main hospital building.

Cebu Doctors Hospital, usually called Cebu Doc, is located near the Capitol. This used to be the most efficient general hospital in Cebu. Numerous doctors have offices within the building. I have two issues with Cebu Doc: first, there is no parking within reasonable distance, and second, the security is not good. Thieves are known to sneak into hospital rooms and make off with valuables such as cell phones while patients are sleeping. If you can live with these two problems, Cebu Doc is an excellent place to get treatment. Interestingly, Cebu Doc has invested in several new hospitals, such as the North General Hospital, South General Hospital (still under construction in Minglanilla), and the Mactan Doctors' Hospital - and all of these, being located a good distance from the city center, have ample parking.

Another hospital that has been investing a lot lately is Perpetual Succor, operated by Catholic nuns. Their brand-new cardiology center and eye clinic are probably are the best in the Philippines. Perpetual Succor is located at the end of a narrow alley off Gorordo Avenue, between Cebu Business Park and Redemptorist Church.

Although somewhat dilapidated, Velez, located on Ramos Street, near Fuente Osmena, is also good. Velez needs to start upgrading its facilities and renovating its buildings if it wants to stay in the competition with the big three.

A few new and smaller medical centers have cropped up recently in locations more convenient to residents of Cebu City who don't live near the city center. If you live in the western part of the city, you may want to check out the North General Hospital. If you live in Mactan, check out the Mactan Doctors' Hospital, which is, like the North General Hospital, affiliated with Cebu Doc. The LH Prime Medical Clinic on A S Fortuna and Gillamac's diagnostic facility, conveniently located in Ayala, are also brand new.

If possible, you should try to avoid the government-run free hospitals, such as Vicente Sotto aka Southern Island, or Cebu City Medical Center (CMCC). The staff treat patients like inmates, and standards are fairly low. The same is true for most hospitals in the provincial areas (outside Metro Cebu). Serious are rushed to Cebu City anyway.