Tuguegarao city: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. announced an ambitious plan to establish at least 349 specialty centers across the Philippines before his term ends in 2028. This announcement was made during the inauguration of the Brain and Spine Center at the Cagayan Valley Medical Center in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan.

According to Philippines News Agency, Marcos expressed concern over the limited number of specialty centers in the country, which poses challenges for patients requiring urgent medical care. The Covid-19 pandemic, he noted, highlighted the urgent need for more specialized health services throughout the nation.

Marcos reflected on the hardships experienced during the pandemic, emphasizing the difficulties faced by patients who could not reach hospitals in time due to overcrowding. He stressed that the absence of specialty hospitals was a critical issue during the pandemic, where many patients could not receive timely and life-saving healthcare services.

He recounted instances where patients could not be accommodated due to full hospitals, suggesting that lives could have been saved with more available facilities. This experience underscored the importance of enhancing the country's healthcare infrastructure.

The Regional Specialty Centers Act, Republic Act 11959, signed by Marcos on August 24, 2024, mandates the Department of Health to establish specialty centers in its hospitals across all regions and in state-controlled specialty hospitals. The law aims to improve health services by offering specialized care in areas such as cancer, cardiovascular, lung, renal, brain and spine, trauma, and burn care.