Where do I complain about a hospital or a doctor?
Last updated: 2026-07-11 · Educational content; not legal advice.
Short answer
Match the complaint to the right office. For a hospital that refused emergency care, demanded a deposit before treatment, or otherwise violated the Anti-Hospital Deposit Law (RA 10932), file with the DOH Health Facilities Oversight Board (HFOB) under the Health Facilities and Services Regulatory Bureau — by email to hfob@doh.gov.ph or in person at Building 15, Department of Health, San Lazaro Compound, Rizal Avenue, Sta. Cruz, Manila. For urgent or general public-assistance concerns, call the DOH hotline 1555. For misconduct or malpractice by an individual licensed doctor or nurse, file a verified complaint with the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) Legal Service.
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Frequently asked
The hospital as an institution behaved badly — where does that go?
The DOH Health Facilities and Services Regulatory Bureau (HFSRB) is the licensing authority for hospitals and clinics, so complaints about a facility's policy or conduct — refusal of care, unsafe practice, a deposit demand — go to the HFOB under HFSRB. It can recommend revocation of the facility's license to operate on repeated violations. Use the email hfob@doh.gov.ph or Building 15, San Lazaro Compound.
A specific doctor or nurse mistreated me — is that a different office?
Yes. Misconduct or malpractice by an individual licensed professional is a Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) matter. You file a verified complaint (or a complaint embodied in an affidavit) with a Certificate of Non-Forum Shopping and supporting evidence, in three legible copies, with the PRC Legal Service (Central Office) or a Regional Legal Division. There is a ₱245 filing fee, but indigent litigants with a certificate of indigency are exempt. Many events are both a facility and a professional matter — you can file in parallel.
What is the DOH hotline 1555 for?
1555 is the DOH general public-assistance line (linked to the One Hospital Command Center), useful for triage and urgent, on-the-spot situations. It is the front-door number for the public, but a formal RA 10932 complaint is still the one filed with the HFOB, and a professional-misconduct case is still filed with the PRC.
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