CALAMBA CITY (PIA) – The Department of Health Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD) CALABARZON has announced a new program aimed at decongesting hospitals and widening the coverage of state-provided healthcare throughout the region.
The Bagong Urgent Care and Ambulatory Services (BUCAS) Centers will be established in areas without DOH-run hospitals or with inadequate healthcare facilities, providing immediate and primary care, including outpatient and diagnostic services, regardless of geographical barriers.
During the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas on July 2, DOH Assistant Secretary and concurrent Calabarzon Regional Director Dr. Ariel Valencia said that the main goal of BUCAS centers is to lessen hospital visits for patients, especially if not for urgent care needs.
“The idea of BUCAS is to fill in the gaps between primary care and apex hospitals. If there are already existing hospitals, we encourage them to upgrade their capacities to serve more. The idea for BUCAS is to handle all diagnostic requirements, but there will be no admitting of patients,” Valencia added.
“Emergency rooms of hospitals will be decongested. Before visiting a hospital, patients may visit BUCAS to meet their healthcare needs.”
BUCAS Centers can cater to patients with minor injuries, those undergoing preventive and chronic care, follow-up, and ongoing management, and those needing diagnostic procedures such as X-ray, mammogram, ultrasound, ECG, and blood chemistry.
The first center in the Calabarzon region is set to be inaugurated at Batangas State University in July this year, with the goal of expanding it into a hospital.
Establishing BUCAS Centers aligns with the Eight-Point Action Agenda of the DOH and the National Objectives for Health for 2023-2028, ensuring every Filipino is entitled to responsive, safe, and high-quality health services.
Meanwhile, major accomplishments by the DOH in the Calabarzon region were also reported by DOH IV-A Assistant Regional Director Dr. Leda Hernandez, including the region’s status as malaria-free since 2022; having the highest number of vaccinated children during the Chikiting Ligtas Campaign for measles, rubella, and oral polio vaccination with 1,124,563 total inoculations; adoption of the Philippine Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Project (PMNP) with the World Bank; and the establishment of four Universal Health Care implementation sites.
Asec. Valencia affirmed that the DOH through the direction of its secretary Dr. Teodoro Herbosa, and under the ‘Bagong Pilipinas’ is modernized, with health services felt by every Filipino wherever they may be.
“The objective of our department is to continue and further improve our programs and projects to better address the needs of our fellow citizens. Providing accurate and quality healthcare services is crucial to our goal of achieving a strong, stable, and healthy nation,” the assistant secretary proclaimed. (CH/PIA-Laguna)