Fulfilling President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to make healthcare services accessible, the Department of Health (DOH) reported on Thursday that about 860,000 patients across the country have been served by Bagong Urgent Care and Ambulatory Services (BUCAS) centers as of this month.
“As of June 2025, nasa halos 860,000 na pasyente na po ang naserbisyuhan ng limampu’t isang BUCAS centers sa buong bansa,” Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said in a Palace press briefing.
“Patunay po ito na mas mabilis na naihatid ng ating mga kababayan ang mga serbisyong medical,” Herbosa said.
Inspired by The LAB For All project of First Lady Louise “Liza” Araneta-Marcos, BUCAS centers bring medical care and other services to the country’s poorest.
Through BUCAS centers, the DOH provides patients with free medical services, eliminating the need to visit hospitals and medical facilities.
These centers provide free maintenance medicines for hypertension and diabetes. They also offer prenatal check-ups for pregnant women, free vaccines, as well as anti-rabies shots in case of animal bites.
Some BUCAS centers can also perform minor surgical procedures, Herbosa added.
The DOH opened the first BUCAS center in Sto: Tomas, Pampanga on March 6, 2024.
Herbosa stated that there are currently 26 operational BUCAS centers in Luzon, eight in the Visayas, and 17 in Mindanao.
“Ang BUCAS ay bahagi ng layunin ng DOH na mas maramdaman ng mga kababayan natin ang Universal Health Care dahil ang bilin po ng Presidente ay patas na access at komprehensibong serbisyong pangkalusugan ang nabibigay sa iba’t ibang parte ng bansa,” Herbosa said. | PND
