For the first time, all municipalities and cities in the Philippines now have doctors, this was revealed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. during his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, 28 July.
Since 2022, Marcos said they have increased the number of public hospitals and specialty centers across the Philippines.
"There are now 53 Bagong Urgent Care and Ambulatory Service or BUCAS centers in 32 provinces that over free check-ups, x-rays, lab tests, and more," Marcos continued.
He explained that BUCAS centers are for urgent outpatient services that do not require confinement in a hospital, especially in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas or remote and vulnerable communities.
"Expect more BUCAS to open tomorrow," he added.
The first BUCAS Center opened at the Jose B. Lingad Memorial General Hospital in Santo Tomas, Pampanga, in March 2024.
Similar to Super Health Centers managed by local government units, BUCAS centers, on the other hand, are under the Department of Health and serve as extensions of its hospitals.
BUCAS centers are meant to serve the indigent population with free laboratory tests and other medical procedures.