The Bulacan Medical Center (BMC) officially opened its new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) facility recently, marking a major upgrade in health care for residents of Bulacan province.
Located in the Department of Radiology in Malolos City, the new machine symbolizes the provincial government’s push to deliver affordable, quality and modern health services, according to Gov. Daniel Fernando.
“Our dream has finally been realized,” Fernando said. “We have long dreamed of having this kind of high-tech medical equipment at the BMC. Now, there is no need to spend a lot or travel far for an MRI scan because we have our own world-class MRI unit that can conduct detailed and comprehensive examinations of different parts of the body.”
The BMC is the only tertiary state-owned hospital and the primary referral center for complex cases in the province.
Originally a 25-bed facility known as the Bulacan Provincial Hospital, it has continuously expanded since 1991 to its current 300-bed capacity with departmentalized services.
Dr. Alberto D. Gabriel, head of the Department of Radiology, said the new MRI machine is typically used for scans of the brain, spine, knees, muscles and stomach. He estimates the unit can serve eight to 10 patients a day and plans to operate it Mondays through Sundays.