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President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (front row, middle) leads the inauguration of the 32nd BUCAS Center in the country with Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Teodoro Herbosa (front row, 1L), Philippine Heart Center (PHC) Executive Director Avenilo L. Aventura, Jr. (front row, 1R), Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte (back row, left) and House Speaker Martin Romualdez (back row, right). (Photo Courtesy: Official Facebook Page of President Bongbong Marcos)
QUEZON CITY, (PIA) – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. vowed a more inclusive, responsive healthcare system with the inauguration of the 32nd BUCAS (Bagong Urgent Care and Ambulatory Service) Center in the Philippine Heart Center on Tuesday, September 10.
BUCAS Center primarily serves as a one-stop facility for urgent healthcare needs requiring special care such as minor surgeries and other ancillary services. It also provides essential medical services such as consultation, laboratory and diagnostic testing, dental care, and reproductive health services.
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| The 32nd BUCAS Center in the Philippine Heart Center is now inaugurated. (Photo Courtesy: Official Facebook Page of President Bongbong Marcos) |
“This network of care assures every Filipino, whether in the heart of the city or in the most remote province, is seen, valued, and cared for,” said the president.
“We are ready to respond, ready to care, wherever and whenever needed,” he added, highlighting that BUCAS Center aims to transform how the country’s healthcare system handles critical medical care in a timely and compassionate manner using state-of-the-art facilities.
The concept of BUCAS Center is comparable to a hospital without the beds. It aims to bridge the gap between rural health units or city health centers and hospitals or higher-level health institutions with the goal of bringing comprehensive primary care services to communities, especially those in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.
“This Administration envisions a future where every Filipino, no matter where they live, has access to the urgent care that they need. A future where our healthcare system is proactive,” Marcos emphasized.
The BUCAS Center initiative forms part of the “28 for 28 by 28” agenda of Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Teodoro Herbosa which is geared towards the establishment of 28 BUCAS Centers across the nation to cater to 28 million Filipinos in need of quality healthcare services by 2028.
The DOH already surpassed this target with the 32 operational BUCAS Centers in the country as of September 2024.
This accomplishment marks a significant stride towards the realization of the Universal Health Care (UHC) vision of providing every Filipino with an access to affordable and readily available public healthcare services.
BUCAS Centers run from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. while some operate for 24 hours all throughout the week, including weekends. Its operating hours are designed to cater to Filipinos seeking outpatient services.
In addition to the BUCAS Center, President Marcos also led the presentation of check donations worth P200.5 million to the Philippine Heart Center, P185.20 million to the Lung Center of the Philippines, and P134.30 million to the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) for capacity-building projects aimed at improving the country’s disease prevention, diagnostics, and treatment.
The said grants are sourced from the Socio-Civic Projects Fund of the Office of the President (OP). (JMP/PIA-NCR)
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