The newly inaugurated President Corazon C. Aquino General Hospital—better known as Baseco Hospital—has secured accreditation under PhilHealth’s YAKAP program just three days after filing its application, in what officials believe is the fastest turnaround time in the country.

The announcement was made on Wednesday, September 10, by OIC-Hospital Director Dr. Noemi Lachica Licuanan, just five days after the hospital was formally opened by Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso on September 5.

“I am so happy to report that Baseco Hospital’s application for PhilHealth YAKAP accreditation is now approved,” Licuanan said. “The fastest in accreditation in the Philippines in three days, according to PhilHealth Vice President Dr. Bernadette Lico.”

The milestone clears the way for the hospital to immediately offer services under Yaman ng Kalusugan Program para Malayo sa Sakit (YAKAP)-PhilHealth’s new flagship initiative designed to shift the country’s public health focus from treatment to prevention, while significantly reducing out-of-pocket expenses for patients.

Launched by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in July this year, the YAKAP program expands the Konsulta primary care package by including free access to 75 essential medicines, 20 laboratory tests, and cancer screenings for colorectal, lung, liver, and breast cancer.

Medicines will be made available through partner pharmacies, with a maximum benefit limit of P20,000 per patient annually.

Laboratory and screening services are free of charge.

The hospital’s rapid accreditation marks a breakthrough for the Baseco community, a historically underserved area in Manila’s Barangay 649 with an estimated population of 80,000 to 100,000 people.

Isolated geographically and marked by high poverty incidence, Baseco Compound has long struggled with limited access to healthcare services, forcing residents to rely on distant or overcrowded facilities.

Built during Domagoso’s first term as mayor, the Baseco Hospital is the first modern public hospital in the area.

It features a fully operational emergency room, a centralized oxygen supply system, digital x-ray facilities, and core medical departments including maternity, pediatrics, surgery, and internal medicine.

In his speech at the inauguration, Domagoso said the hospital was built as a matter of equity and social justice.

With its record-setting accreditation, Baseco Hospital is now positioned to become a model for how local governments can bridge healthcare gaps by working in sync with national programs like YAKAP.