MANILA, April 2 -- The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday underscored the importance of "intermediate" health facilities where prompt care for illnesses and injuries could be given particularly to the poor across the country.

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa made the pronouncement during a groundbreaking ceremony of the first Bagong Urgent Care and Ambulatory Service (BUCAS) Center in Tubao, La Union on Monday.

Tubao is a fourth-class municipality located in the second district of the province of La Union.

The facility is the first BUCAS Center to rise in the Ilocos Region.

"BUCAS Center is an intermediate health facility that aims to bridge the gap between barangay health centers and higher-level hospitals by providing urgent heal...