What should you know about healthcare and emergencies in Siargao?
Emergency number
911
Updated July 2026 · Sources cited: siargao.ph, newsinfo.inquirer.net
Good to know
Good to Know
- As of late 2025 the Philippines uses a single unified '911' number for police, fire, and medical emergencies nationwide, but on an island like Siargao it's still smart to also save the direct General Luna municipal police, fire, and coast guard numbers, since local responders may be faster than a call routed through a national center.
- Response times on Siargao can be slower than in a major city simply due to geography — the regional hospital for serious injuries is in Dapa, roughly half an hour from the General Luna surf area, so for anything beyond minor stitches, factor in travel time.
- Typhoons are a real seasonal risk in this part of the Philippines; keep the NDRRMC and local MDRRMO (disaster office) numbers handy during typhoon season rather than relying solely on 911.
- Siargao Island Medical Center in Dapa is the only hospital on the whole island with a real emergency room — budget 30–40 minutes of travel time from General Luna/Cloud 9 if you need to get there.
- For serious trauma, major surgery, or intensive care, patients are often stabilized on Siargao and then transferred by boat or plane to Surigao City or Cebu City — factor this into any emergency plan and make sure you have travel/medical evacuation insurance.
- For minor injuries (e.g. stitches, reef cuts, surf injuries) in General Luna, MetroDocs Medical Clinic and other local clinics on the boardwalk can help without the trip to Dapa.
- A dedicated Tourist First Aid Facility has been planned/under development for General Luna to speed up emergency response near Cloud 9, but treat this as a developing resource rather than a fully-equipped hospital for now.
Emergency Numbers
Red Cross
- Number
- 143
- Details
- Philippine Red Cross national hotline, used for blood, ambulance, and disaster-related assistance.
Coast Guard
- Number
- See local Philippine Coast Guard detachment number below
- Details
- Relevant for water-based emergencies (boat incidents, surf/ocean rescue), which are a realistic risk category on a surf island like Siargao.
Official Safety Apps
HazardHunterPH
- Purpose
- Government hazard-assessment tool referenced on the official e911.gov.ph emergency hotline directory; useful for checking flood, storm, and geological hazard exposure of a specific address, relevant given Siargao's typhoon exposure.
- Publisher
- Government of the Philippines (via the e911 National Office / PHIVOLCS-linked hazard tools)
Legacy National Number
- Number
- 117
- Details
- 117 ("Patrol 117") was the previous national police/emergency hotline before 911 became the primary nationwide number in 2016; some older local directories and signage on the island may still list 117 or municipality-specific numbers rather than 911.
National Universal Number
- Number
- 911
- Details
- The Philippines launched a nationwide 'Unified 911' emergency hotline on September 11, 2025, replacing more than 30 separate local police/fire/medical numbers with one integrated line covering police, fire, and hospital/medical response.
- Coverage Note
- 911 service is intended to be available nationwide 24/7, with call-takers trained in local languages/dialects, though rollout consistency in remote island areas like Siargao versus major cities has not been independently confirmed.
Local Municipal Hotlines Dapa
- Fire Station
- 0931-721-8776 / 0965-576-5616
- Note
- Dapa is the port town and site of the main regional hospital for the island; useful for anyone based near the airport/port side of Siargao.
National Disaster Council Ndrrmc
- Number
- (02) 8911-5061 to 65
- Details
- Landline trunk lines for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, relevant during typhoons, which are a real seasonal hazard for Siargao.
Local Municipal Hotlines General Luna
- Bfp Fire
- 0931 721 8779
- Pnp Police
- 0998 598 7338
- Rural Health Unit
- 0981 067 4732
- Mdrrmo Disaster Rescue
- 0930 685 7839
- Philippine Coast Guard Detachment
- 0977 004 9587
- Note
- General Luna is the main tourist/nomad hub on Siargao (near Cloud 9); these are the barangay/municipal-level numbers residents and resorts actually circulate, in addition to national 911/117.
Hospitals
Siargao Island Medical Center (SIMC) — Formerly Siargao District Hospital
- Hours
- Emergency Room operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Outpatient/consultation hours vary by department.
- Address
- Hospital Road, Dapa, Surigao del Norte, Philippines
- Contact
- Mobile: 0948 900 6922 (also listed under its former name, Siargao District Hospital)
- Capabilities
- 24-hour ER, emergency surgery, X-ray, CT scan (added 2024), ultrasound, basic laboratory/blood work, maternity/delivery ward, and a dedicated animal-bite (rabies) treatment room. Complex trauma, specialist surgery, or intensive care cases are typically referred/transferred off-island to Surigao City or Cebu City.
- Trauma Designation
- Level II General Hospital under the Philippine Department of Health (upgraded from a smaller district hospital under Republic Act 11500). Not a formally certified 'trauma center' in the Western sense, but it is the island's only facility with an emergency room, emergency surgical capability, X-ray, and (as of late 2024) CT scan.
- Location Note
- This is the ONLY hospital on Siargao Island. It is in Dapa, which is roughly 30–40 minutes by road from General Luna / Cloud 9, the main tourist and digital-nomad hub — so it falls outside a typical 10-minute city-center radius. Given it is the sole hospital-level facility on the entire island, it is included here rather than omitted, with this distance flagged honestly.
Healthcare
- Caveats
- Limited specialist availability; complex cases require mainland referral; ambulance services limited; power and connectivity issues can affect diagnostics during storms; services at SIMC continue during construction
- Overview
- Siargao has limited but expanding healthcare infrastructure. The Siargao Island Medical Center (SIMC), a Level II national hospital in Dapa, recently underwent major upgrades and opened new facilities including diagnostic labs, CT scan capability, and expanded emergency services. However, the facility is still under construction as of 2025, with completion targeted for August 2025. Private clinics exist in General Luna and Dapa, offering basic consultations and minor procedures. For complex surgeries and specialized care, patients often must travel to Surigao City or Cebu City (3-4 hours away by ferry and car).
Facilities
Siargao Island Medical Center (SIMC)
- Beds
- 100
- Type
- Public/National Hospital
- Level
- Level II General Hospital
- Details
- Upgraded from 50-bed capacity; equipped with modern diagnostics; treats approximately 20,000 patients (inpatient and outpatient combined) annually
- Location
- Dapa
- Services
- Basic surgical, medical, pediatric, OB-GYN, emergency, outpatient, ultrasound, laboratory diagnostics, CT scan, emergency surgical capabilities, dental clinic, molecular/PCR lab, blood station
Siargao Medical Clinic
- Type
- Private Clinic
- Location
- General Luna
- Services
- Basic consultations, minor procedures
General Luna Municipal Health Center
- Type
- Public Health Unit
- Location
- General Luna
- Services
- Basic medical services, preventive care, maternal care, vaccinations
Dapa Rural Health Unit
- Type
- Public Health Unit
- Location
- Dapa
- Services
- Preventive medicine, maternal care, barangay outreach programs
Diagnostic Costs
- Lab Test Or Xray
- ₱500
Range ₱300–₱1,000 depending on test complexity
Insurance Options
- PhilHealth (national health insurance; covers Filipino citizens and residents; expats typically ineligible for subsidies)
- Private health insurance: Blue Cross, Philam Life, Maxicare
- Expat-specific travel/health insurance providers
Consultation Costs
- Private Clinic
- ₱500
Typical private clinic consultation in General Luna area
- Public Hospital
- ₱250
Outpatient consultation at Siargao District Hospital/SIMC; government health units may be free to ₱150
Pharmacies
- Overview
- Pharmacies are accessible in General Luna and Dapa, though selection is more limited than in larger cities. Common brands include major chains available nationally, though inventory can be limited for specialized medications. Medications are available over-the-counter with minimal restrictions.
- Accessibility
- Pharmacies present in main population centers; some medications may require sourcing from Surigao City or Cebu if unavailable locally
- Brands Available
- Common Philippine pharmacy brands; generic medications widely available and preferred due to cost; international brands available but less common
- Regulatory Note
- Philippines has liberal over-the-counter medication access; many medications available without prescription that would require one in Western countries
Facilities
Siargao Pharmacy
- Location
- General Luna (Tourism Road, beside Don Macchiatos)
- Services
- Pharmaceutical products, consultations
Supplementary Note
Within General Luna itself there is no hospital — only private clinics. MetroDocs Medical Clinic in General Luna offers 24/7 basic medical support (blood work, ECG, teleconsultation, home visits) and can stabilize/triage patients before onward transfer, but it is a clinic, not an ER/trauma hospital. A government-backed 'Tourist First Aid Facility' has been announced for General Luna to shorten emergency response times, but as of the most recent reporting it was still being stood up and is not yet an equivalent substitute for SIMC's ER.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this emergencies research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Siargao
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.