TAGUM CITY, Davao del Norte (PIA) —- The Department of Health (DOH) – Region XI has recorded a total of 196,353 indigents registered to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), reported by DOH IX Regional Director Annabelle Yumang during the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas on July 2.
This development is in line with the DOH Health Agenda themed “Sa Bawat Pilipino Ramdam ang Kalusugan” which seeks to register all indigent patients to primary health care facilities and puts in place comprehensive urgent outpatient services at strategic sites.
“This number [196,353] is growing,” RD Yumang added.
In addition to the fulfillment of the said agenda, DOH XI is set to launch additional Bagong Urgent Care and Ambulatory Services (BUCAS) Centers equipped with multi-family clinic services such as internal medicine, general surgery, ob-gyne, pediatrics.
BUCAS centers are also capable of rendering urgent care triage that includes basic emergency, patient transport that also covers ancillary and ambulatory services.
Two of the three BUCAS centers in the region are already operating.
The setting up of BUCAS centers and the primary health care provider registration of indigent patients come as add-on services to what the DOH has been doing to reach the marginalized sectors especially in far-flung communities, and to assist those financially incapacitated.
Meanwhile, of 91 medical doctors deployed by DOH in 2024, 23 were sent to Davao de Oro; 25 to Davao del Norte; 24 to Davao del Sur; seven to Davao Occidental; and 19 to Davao Oriental.
DOH deploys medical doctors and other human resource for health (HRH) personnel to augment the manpower to deliver health services at the grassroots levels.
“[All these are] built on the foundation of reforms and in response to the call of the President and the priorities of the present administration,” RD Yumang said. (JMDA/PIA XI)
