Baguio hospital opens Northern Luzon's first adolescent-friendly health facility

What is the background?

Baguio City, in the Cordillera Administrative Region of the northern Philippines, is served by the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC), one of the region’s main referral hospitals. Teenagers already make up about 20 percent of the hospital’s patients, yet they had long been treated inside general paediatric or adult wards without services built around their specific needs.

What happened?

BGHMC opened its first adolescent-friendly facility on 10 July 2026, a Department of Health-accredited Level 3 centre offering holistic, accessible and age-appropriate care for patients aged 10 to 19. Dr. Avegail Cardinal, an adolescent medicine specialist at BGHMC, told a press conference that the transition care clinic is the first in Northern Luzon and the first outside Metro Manila. The centre treats an average of 15 to 20 adolescent patients daily, drawing young people from across the Cordillera region, with numbers continuing to rise.

How did it happen?

The centre operates as a unit separate from other hospital departments, rather than folding adolescent care into general paediatrics or adult medicine. It combines four services under one roof: adolescent medicine, general paediatrics, a teen-parent clinic and a transition care programme. The transition programme prepares patients approaching adulthood to move from paediatric to adult health services without interruption. Cardinal said the hospital had previously treated children for diabetes mellitus who stopped seeing doctors once they became adults, only to return later with complications such as chronic kidney disease caused by uncontrolled diabetes. The programme is also backed by school- and community-based initiatives, including parenting modules designed to help parents and children bridge generational gaps.

Why does it matter?

Cardinal said demand among young patients has shifted well beyond acute illnesses such as pneumonia and dengue. The hospital now sees more adolescents with chronic conditions involving the heart and kidneys, patients undergoing dialysis, people with diabetes, and young patients with psychosocial and mental health concerns. She cited findings from the Young Adult Fertility Survey showing that many adolescents face mental health issues, sexual abuse, violence and substance use. The clinic also aims to address suicide risk and teenage pregnancy, both often linked to mental health problems and social isolation. “We want to treat not only their physical condition but also their mental health concerns because these become much more difficult to manage once they worsen,” Cardinal said.

What were the key results?

• First adolescent-friendly, Department of Health-accredited Level 3 facility opened at BGHMC on 10 July 2026
• First transition care clinic in Northern Luzon and the first outside Metro Manila
• Serves patients aged 10 to 19, with roughly 15 to 20 adolescents treated daily
• Teenagers make up about 20 percent of BGHMC’s total patient base
• Combines four services: adolescent medicine, general paediatrics, teen-parent clinic, transition care
• Draws patients from across the Cordillera region, with visits continuing to rise

What happens next?

Cardinal said the hospital expects demand to keep growing as more adolescents with chronic illnesses and mental health needs seek care. The transition programme will keep guiding patients with conditions such as diabetes toward adult services, aiming to prevent the treatment gaps that previously led some patients to return with complications like chronic kidney disease. School- and community-based outreach, including the parenting modules, is set to continue alongside the clinic’s work addressing teenage pregnancy and suicide risk among adolescents in the Cordillera region.