SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union — The Department of Health (DOH) announced on Tuesday that 11 Bagong Urgent Care and Ambulatory Services (BUCAS) centers will be constructed to bring healthcare services closer to communities in Region 1.
The additional 11 BUCAS centers in the region shall add to the roster of two functional centers that opened earlier this year, the Banna center in Ilocos Norte which is managed by the Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center (MMMH & MC) and the Tubao center in La Union that is being managed by the Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center (ITRMC).
Of the 11 centers being planned, an additional three shall open in Ilocos Norte, three in Ilocos Sur, two more in La Union, and three in Pangasinan.
DOH-1 Director Paula Paz M. Sydiongco says the BUCAS centers serve as everyday intermediate facilities between existing rural health units and hospitals within the region.
She added that these centers provide alternative health services such as minor surgeries and other diagnostic services whenever other health facilities are closed.
“BUCAS centers are open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. because our health centers are only open during office hours. These centers tend to cases needing urgent care outside office hours,” Sydiongco said during the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas program of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Region 1 on July 2.
Their plant to open more BUCAS centers is part of the health department’s 8-Point Action Agenda as a contribution to the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028. This also reflects their commitment to the strategy of ensuring that “Bawat Pilipino, ramdam ang kalusugan (health is felt by every Filipino).”
Sydiongco added that under the agency’s agenda, the DOH aims to increase the percentage of the population with access to primary care facilities such as barangay health stations (BHS) and rural health units (RHU).
In Region 1, there are 2,171 total BHS serving 3,267 barangays, resulting in an access rate of 66.45 percent.
Pangasinan currently boasts the most number of BHS with 1,204 out of a total of 1,364 provincial barangays, achieving 89 percent access rate.
As to the RHUs, the region currently has 162 RHUs that are functional, yielding a 59.34 percent rate of the DOH’s 273 total target RHUs.
Moreover, Ilocos Sur gained the highest percentage of RHUs built compared to its target, with 36 functional RHUs over a total target of 37, accomplishing a 97.30 percent rate. (MJTAB/CCMT, PIA La Union)
