1. Hospitals are classified acording to 

• Ownership
• Scope of Services

General hospitals are further classified by functional capability.

2. According to ownership we can distinguish

• Government – a hospital owned, established, established and created by law; facility may be under the national government like the, the Department of Health (DOH), Department of National Defense (DND), Philippine National Police (PNP), Department of Justice (DOJ), State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), Government Owned or Controlled Corporations (GOCC) or Local Government Units (LGUs).
• Private – a hospital owned, established and operated with funds through donation, principal investment or other means by any individual, non-government corporation, association or organization.

3. Classification According to Scope of Services

• General – a hospital that provides services for all kinds of illnesses, diseases, injuries or deformities. A general hospital shall provide medical and surgical care to the sick and injured, as well as maternity, newborn and child care. It shall be equipped with the service capabilities needed to support board certified/eligible medical specialists and other licensed physicians rendering services in, but not limited to, the following: I. Clinical Services 1) Family Medicine 2) Pediatrics 3) Internal Medicine 4) Obstetrics and Gynecology 5) Surgery II. Emergency Services III. Outpatient Services IV. Ancillary and Support Services, such as clinical laboratory, imaging facility and pharmacy.
• Specialty – a hospital that specializes in a particular disease or condition or in one type of patient. A speciality hospital may be devoted to treatment of any of the following: I. Treatment of patients suffering from diseases of a particular organ or groups of organs (e.g. Lung Center of the Philippines, Philippine Heart Center, National Kidney and Transplant Institute); or a hospital dedicated to treatment of eye disorders or cancers. II. Treatment of patients belonging to a particular group such as children, women, elderly and others (e.g. Philippine Children’s Medical Center).

4. Categories of General Hospitals According to Functional Capacity. Level 1.

Level 1 hospital shall have, as minimum, the following services and capacity: a. A staff of qualified medical, allied medical and administrative personnel headed by a physician duly licensed by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC); b. Bed space for its authorized bed capacity in accordance with DOH Guidelines in the Planning and Design of Hospitals; c. An operating room with standard equipment and provision for sterilization of equipment and supplies in accordance with the: i. DOH Reference Plan in the Planning and Design of an Operating Room/Theater 4 ii. DOH Guidelines on Cleaning, Disinfection and Sterilization of Reusable Medical Devices in Hospital Facilities in the Philippines d. A post-operative recovery room; e. Maternity facilities, consisting of ward(s), room(s), and a delivery room exclusively for maternity patients and newborns; f. Isolation facilities with proper procedures for the care and control of infectious and communicable diseases as well as for the prevention of cross infections; g. A separate dental section/clinic; h. A blood station; i. A DOH-licensed secondary clinical laboratory with the services of consulting pathologist; j. A DOH-licensed Level 1 imaging facility with the services of a consulting radiologist; and k. A DOH-licensed pharmacy.

5. Categories of General Hospitals According to Functional Capacity. Level 2.

Level 2 hospital shall have as minimum, all of Level 1 capacity, including, but not limited to, the following: a. An organized staff of qualified and competent personnel with Chief of Hospital/Medical Director and appropriate board-certified Clinical Department Heads; b. Departmentalized and equipped with service capabilities needed to support board-certified/eligible medical specialists and other licensed physicians rendering services in the specialties of Medicine, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Surgery, their sub-specialties and ancillary services; c. A general Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for critically ill patients; d. A Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU); e. A High Risk Pregnancy Unit (HRPU); 5 f. Provision of respiratory therapy services; g. A DOH-licensed tertiary clinical laboratory; and h. A DOH-licensed Level 2 imaging facility with mobile x-ray inside the institution and with capability for contrast examinations.

6. Categories of General Hospitals According to Functional Capacity. Level 3.

Level 3 hospital shall have as minimum, all of Level 2 capacity, including, but not limited to, the following: a. Teaching and/or training hospital with accredited residency training program for physicians in the four (4) major specialties, namely: Medicine, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Surgery; b. A physical medicine and rehabilitation unit; c. An ambulatory surgical clinic; d. A dialysis unit; e. A blood bank; f. A DOH-licensed tertiary clinical laboratory with standard equipment /reagents/ supplies necessary for the performance of histopathology examinations; and g. A DOH-licensed level 3 imaging facility with interventional radiology.

Servises and facilities of the hospitals present below