The Department of Health (DOH) is expanding the Bicol Regional Hospital and Medical Center, a project expected to increase patient capacity by 1,500 once completed.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the DOH reported that Health Secretary Ted Herbosa personally inspected the construction site in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive.

Herbosa said the expansion is a key step toward improving access to advanced healthcare in the region.

The development includes the construction of a 20-storey Integrated Specialty Center and Wellness Hub, a 15-storey Central Ward Building, a 10-floor Outpatient Department, and a five-floor complex housing the Brain Ward, Spine Ward, and Operating Rooms.

Additional facilities such as a Women’s Building and a Patient Surge Facility will further strengthen the hospital’s ability to meet specialized healthcare needs.

Set for completion between 2027 and 2028, the project positions the hospital as one of the most advanced medical centers in Southern Luzon.

In nearby Camalig, Albay, the DOH also delivered direct health services to residents through the Bagong Pilipinas Bus mobile clinic.

More than 1,000 patients received free consultations and services including deworming, screening for tuberculosis, human immunodeficiency virus, and cancer, as well as family planning, dental and maternal care, laboratory tests, nutrition counseling, mental health services, and psychological first aid.

As part of the program, 20 children were vaccinated, including a nine-year-old girl who received the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, a step toward preventing cervical cancer.

Free electrocardiogram tests and maintenance medicines were also offered to patients, highlighting the administration’s drive to provide comprehensive preventive and primary care at the community level.

According to the DOH, these initiatives underscore the Marcos administration’s push to improve both hospital infrastructure and grassroots healthcare delivery. (PNA)