President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday donated around PHP519.7 million to specialty hospitals Philippine Heart Center (PHC), the National Kidney Transplant Institute (NKTI), and the Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP), in an effort to provide quality health services to the Filipino people.
During the inauguration of the Bagong Urgent Care and Ambulatory Service (BUCAS) Center at the PHC in Quezon, Marcos handed over the check worth PHP200.5 million to the PHC, PHP185.2 million to the LCP, and PHP134 million to the NKTI.
Marcos expressed optimism that the three specialty hospitals would continue seeking innovative medical services and pursuing projects that reflect both their “passion and compassion” for Filipinos.
“These grants aim to further the excellence in disease prevention, diagnostics, and treatments. That is the record of those specialty hospitals,” he said.
“Today, we provide Filipinos with hope. Hope that medical care is within their grasp because of what we have built here in what we come to call the Bagong Pilipinas (New Philippines). Let us carry with us the understanding that our actions today will have a lasting impact. In ways that we may never see, lives will be changed because of what we have done.”
Marcos also lauded the PHC’s education, training and research simulation facility, which mimics realistic clinical scenarios for teaching and learning.
The PHC facility, which is a first in the country, would provide better training for Filipino healthcare workers, Marcos said.
“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, not just reactive. That future was made more possible by the PHC’s Education, Training and Research Simulation Facility,” he said.
Marcos assured the PHC, NKTI, and LCP of his administration’s continued support, as they continue to care for Filipinos who are in need.
BUCAS Center inauguration
Marcos also expressed elation over the inauguration of the BUCAS Center at the PHC, saying this would help patients needing special care get proper medical services.
“These services will be provided throughout the week, including weekends. And I heard a rumor that in some areas, ginawa ng 24 hours ang ating (the operation will be 24 hours in our) BUCAS Centers. So, when you or your loved ones come through these doors, you will find not just a place of care but a place of immediate, compassionate support,” he said.
The DOH opened the BUCAS centers nationwide to serve Filipinos who are most in need of quality and accessible healthcare services.
The Philippine Health Center is one of the first government specialty hospitals to establish its own BUCAS center within its premises.
The BUCAS centers serve as a vital intermediary healthcare hub designed to bridge the gap between village health centers and higher-level hospitals.
The centers provide urgent healthcare services and ancillary services like mammogram, magnetic resonance imaging, computer tomography scan, and ultrasound. They also offer outpatient consultations, laboratory tests minor surgeries, and emergency care.
The DOH initially targets the establishment of at least 28 BUCAS centers nationwide to serve around 28 million Filipinos in need of accessible and quality healthcare services.
As of September 2024, there are 31 BUCAS centers operating nationwide. (PNA)
