As 2025 ends, the Department of Health (DOH) said it moved Universal Health Care (UHC) from policy to practice, unifying once-fragmented health services through expanded primary care, urgent-care hubs, hospital upgrades, and digital reforms felt nationwide.

DOH Health Promotion Bureau (HPB) Director Tina Marasigan said UHC is no longer treated as a distant goal but as the central strategy guiding service delivery and investments across the country.

“Ang Universal Health Care o UHC ay hindi lamang isang target kundi isang estratehiya ng DOH para sa mas maayos na kalusugan, maasahang health system, at mas mababa o halos pagtanggal ng gastos sa pagpapagamot (Universal Health Care or UHC is not merely a target but a DOH strategy for better health, a reliable health system, and reduced, or near elimination of, out-of-pocket medical costs),” she said.

To speed access to care, the DOH said it pushed UHC-anchored service delivery throughout 2025, integrating once-separate city and provincial systems in 107 local government units (LGUs).

Under these UHC integration sites, the agency said barangay health stations, rural health units, and public hospitals operate as a single referral network, streamlining patient transfers to the appropriate facility and physician.

“Ang fragmented o magkakahiwalay na sistema sa mga lungsod at probinsya, integrated na sa 107 LGUs… para mas epektibo na ang pag-refer ng mga pasyente sa kailangan nitong pasilidad at doctor (Previously fragmented city and provincial systems have been integrated in 107 LGUs… making patient referrals to the right facility and doctor more effective),” she said.

The agency said each UHC integration site carries a special health fund to finance prevention and primary care services, including routine checkups and essential medicines, bringing healthcare closer to communities.

As part of efforts to widen access to care, the health department rolled out Bagong Urgent Care and Ambulatory Services (BUCAS) centers to treat patients whose conditions do not need emergency room services in major hospitals.

DOH Secretary Ted Herbosa said BUCAS centers provide outpatient consultations, follow-up care, X-ray and laboratory tests, dental and minor surgical procedures, ECG, ultrasound, cancer screening, mental health counseling, medicines, prenatal checkups, vaccination, and anti-rabies injections.

From its first center in March 2024, the agency said the network expanded to 60 BUCAS centers nationwide (28 in Luzon, 13 in the Visayas, 19 in Mindanao), serving about 1.3 million patients, particularly in far-flung areas.

Alongside primary and urgent care, the DOH said it strengthened hospital capacity.

Marasigan said 192 specialty centers are now operational in DOH hospitals in 2025, aligned with President Marcos’ target of 349 specialty centers by 2028 to spare patients long, costly travel for complex procedures.

Zero balance billing, first implemented in DOH hospitals, covered all Filipinos, regardless of income, for basic accommodation costs.

In just four months, the health department said the policy had benefited over one million patients.

Per the DOH, PhilHealth expanded its benefit packages following DOH recommendations and launched PhilHealth YAKAP to provide free consultations, laboratory tests, screenings, and medicines.

“Ngayong taon, napalawig na rin ng PhilHealth ang mga benefit packages na naaayon sa mga rekomendasyon ng DOH bilang isang attached agency ng kagawaran. Inilunsad na rin ang PhilHealth YAKAP na nagbibigay ng libreng konsultasyon, laboratory test, screenings, at gamot (This year, PhilHealth also expanded its benefit packages in line with the recommendations of the Department of Health (DOH) as an attached agency of the department. PhilHealth YAKAP was also launched, providing free consultations, laboratory tests, screenings, and medicines),” Marasigan said.

Under the medicines package, the agency said PhilHealth members can receive up to P20,000 worth of essential drugs per year at no cost.

Recognizing that facilities still cannot reach every household, the DOH said it had begun PuroKalusugan, deploying health workers door-to-door to deliver medical services and health education.

Marasigan said the initiative focuses on the DOH’s eight priority health outcomes, while HPB’s healthy-communities program equips residents and local chief executives to meet indicators of a healthy locality.

The DOH said it issued Administrative Order No. 0017 in 2025 through the Health Promotion Bureau’s Governance Division to define standards for honoring communities that advance health initiatives.

Marasigan said PuroKalusugan had reached over four million people by year’s end, adding that all municipalities now have doctors.

“Nasa higit apat na milyong tao na ang naserbisyohan ng Purokalusugan ngayong taon. At napunan na rin ng DOH ang lahat ng mga munisipalidad ng mga doctor (More than four million people have been served under PuroKalusugan this year, and the DOH has also filled all municipalities with doctors),” she said.

Beyond communities and puroks, the DOH said it reached healthy learning institutions, tailoring youth-focused programs linked to their communities.

Marasigan said health promotion campaigns, particularly on road safety, were intensified across broadcast and digital platforms.

Marasigan said digitalization advanced across three pillars identified by the DOH chief, namely Women’s Health, Primary Care, and Health Promotion.

For women’s health, she said the Patient Appointment System (PAS) at the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital reduced appointment scheduling to just minutes, allowing pregnant patients to secure checkup slots in about three minutes.

“Suportado rin ang nutrisyon ng pamilya, lalo na ang mga nanay at first 1,000 days ng sanggol nito kaya inilunsad ang Household Convergence Scorecard mobile application na mahigit tatlong milyong Pilipino na sa 275 na LGUs ang naserbisyuhan (Family nutrition, particularly for mothers and during a child’s first 1,000 days, is also being supported through the launch of the Household Convergence Scorecard mobile application, which has already served more than three million Filipinos across 275 local government units),” Marasigan said.

The DOH said primary care digitization included tele-consultation in BUCAS and select DOH hospitals such as the National Center for Mental Health, alongside RHUs offering online mental health services.

Marasigan also said the Drug Price Watch is now integrated into the eGOVPH app, enabling the public to compare medicine prices at nearby pharmacies.

She said HPB also digitized its Health Impact Assessment (HIA), a policy tool to assess health benefits or risks of projects affecting communities.

Marasigan said the DOH’s preparedness for disasters and the swift response of its emergency teams were felt both within the country and abroad.

In April, she said the Philippine Emergency Medical Assistance Team (PEMAT) deployed to Myanmar following a 7.7-magnitude earthquake.

“Nitong July 23 naman, nakapagtayo rin ang PEMAT 46 ng temporary hospital tents sa Sto. Tomas Evacuation Center sa Pampanga upang tumugon sa pansamantalang pagsasara ng district hospitals sa Macabebe dahil sa pagbaha dulot ng habagat at tatlong magkakasunod na bagyo (On July 23, PEMAT-46 also set up temporary hospital tents at the Sto. Tomas Evacuation Center in Pampanga to respond to the temporary closure of district hospitals in Macabebe due to flooding caused by the southwest monsoon and three successive storms),” she added.

The DOH said it also deployed Health Emergency Response Teams (HERTs) to areas affected by disasters such as earthquakes, typhoons, and landslides nationwide.

Marasigan said HERTs are composed of quad-cluster teams, including medical and public health teams; water, sanitation, and hygiene teams; nutrition teams; and mental health and psychosocial teams.

The agency said hospitals also underwent preparedness measures for “The Big One” under the DOH Public Continuity Plan.

Marasigan said the Philippines notched a landmark diplomatic win by presiding over the World Health Assembly, the highest forum of the World Health Organization representing 194 countries, amplifying the voice of middle- and low-income nations.

According to her, the country helped advance a pandemic agreement to address inequities in global response, access to technology, medicines, and vaccines, while protecting the rights and welfare of health workers at home and abroad.

“Maliban sa pandemic agreement, nakamit din ng DOH ang pandemic fund na aabot sa halagang $25 million mula sa World Bank (Aside from the pandemic agreement, the DOH also secured a $25-million pandemic fund from the World Bank),” she said.

The agency said international discussions also addressed tuberculosis reduction through new technologies such as AI-assisted testing and diagnosis, as well as measures to ensure an adequate supply of medicines.

It added that protections for nurses were also tackled with support from the International Organization for Migration, including ethical recruitment, pay and benefits, training, and a proposed return-migration model for overseas Filipino health workers.

The DOH said the Philippines further advanced health priorities at the United Nations General Assembly, within ASEAN, and at the UHC High-Level Forum, pushing actions to cut deaths from non-communicable diseases, strengthen mental health, and reduce catastrophic health spending.

Marasigan said the gains of 2025 show how UHC-driven reforms can translate into concrete benefits, from doorstep care and urgent-care hubs to hospital protections and global partnerships.

“Sa darating na taon, ano man ang maging hamon, mananatiling tapat sa serbisyo ang kagawaran at sisikaping walang pasyenteng maiiwan (In the coming year, whatever the challenges, the department will remain steadfast in service and ensure that no patient is left behind),” she said.