CLARK, Pampanga – Apayao province has received a Bagong Pilipinas Mobile Primary Care Facility from the Department of Health (DOH).
Governor Elias C. Bulut, Jr. and Provincial Health Officer Dr. Mark Joleen Calban accepted the mobile health facility during a turnover ceremony on July 10, at the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga with the First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos leading the turnover of the mobile clinic.
Malacañang recently introduced these advanced mobile primary care facilities to improve access to essential medical services, especially in underserved areas.
A total of 83 medical buses will be deployed nationwide, one for each province to enhance healthcare services. These mobile healthcare facilities offer free laboratory examinations, doctor consultations, and medicines. Each bus is equipped with modern diagnostic tools, including a mobile digital X-ray machine, ultrasound machine, hematology analyzer for blood tests, binocular microscope, ophthalmoscope for eye tests, lab-grade refrigerator, and telemedicine equipment.
These medical buses are a vital addition to the Philippines’ primary healthcare infrastructure. The country faces a significant shortage in healthcare resources, with 1,000 Filipinos sharing one hospital bed, far from the global standard of 200, and only one doctor for every 1,667 Filipinos, below the benchmark of 1,000 people per doctor. By Jess Christley Marquez