Bicol Medical Center Rates & Fees 2026: Is It Free?
Quick Answer: Bicol Medical Center (BMC) is a DOH-retained government hospital in Naga City, Camarines Sur — not Naga, Cebu, a mix-up worth clearing up before anything else. Because it's DOH-retained, PhilHealth members admitted to a ward bed pay ₱0 under Zero Balance Billing, regardless of income. BMC also publishes its own outpatient fee schedule: as of March 2024, a general clinic user fee is ₱50, a pediatric injection fee is ₱10, and a Pap smear is ₱60. BMC hosts the country's 39th Malasakit Center. Trunkline: (054) 472-6125 to 31.
About these figures: BMC publishes detailed rates by department at bmc.doh.gov.ph/rates-and-fees. The Outpatient Department fees below are explicitly marked "as of March 2024" on the hospital's own page. BMC also links a 2026 Citizen's Charter PDF (1st Edition) covering additional services. Figures here are transcribed exactly as published — nothing rounded or estimated. Last checked: August 2026.
Table of Contents
- About Bicol Medical Center
- Official published rates
- Is Bicol Medical Center free?
- What Zero Balance Billing covers
- What's not covered
- The Malasakit Center
- How to contact Bicol Medical Center
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
About Bicol Medical Center
Bicol Medical Center was established by RA 8053 (15 June 1995), which converted the former Bicol Regional Training and Teaching Hospital into its current form. It is DOH-retained, operating under the direct supervision of the DOH Center for Health Development – Bicol in Legazpi City, and is one of 13 medical centers in the region under the national government. That DOH-retained status is what places it under Zero Balance Billing.
Important location note: BMC is in Naga City, Camarines Sur — not Naga, Cebu, which is a different city entirely with its own hospitals. If you're searching for BMC specifically, make sure you're looking at Bicol Region V, not Central Visayas.
Bed capacity was raised from 500 to 1,000 beds under RA 11478, approved 1 July 2020. BMC runs a wide set of specialty centers: a Cardiac Center, Regional Cancer Center, Renal Care and Transplant Center, Eye Care Center, Geriatric Center, Neonatal Center, Newborn Hearing Screening Reference Center, Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine Center, Poison Control and Drug Testing Laboratory, and a Teen Wellness Center. BMC sits at J. Miranda Avenue, Concepcion Pequeña, Naga City, Camarines Sur 4400. See the directory listing at Bicol Medical Center.
Official published rates
BMC posts department-by-department fee pages directly on its site, plus a Citizen's Charter PDF. Below is a representative selection from the Outpatient Department page, marked "as of March 2024," transcribed exactly:
| Clinic / Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| All clinics — users fee | ₱50 |
| Pedia — injection fee | ₱10 |
| OB-Gyne — SISH (Saline Infusion Sonohysterography) | ₱3,000 |
| OB-Gyne — Pap smear | ₱60 |
| Ambulatory Surgical Clinic — excision/incision biopsy | ₱1,200–₱1,500 (depending on supplies used) |
| Dermatology — skin punch biopsy | ₱1,340 |
BMC's full rates page covers many more departments — Blood Bank, Dental, Dermatology, ENT-HNS, ER, Internal Medicine, Laboratory, OB-Gyne, Orthopedic, OPD, Psychiatry, Radiology, Surgery, Health Information Management Services and Rehab Medicine. For a service not listed here, check bmc.doh.gov.ph/rates-and-fees directly, or the linked 2026 BMC Citizen's Charter (1st Edition) PDF, or call Billing.
Is Bicol Medical Center free?
For ward patients, effectively yes — the fees above mostly matter for outpatient visits, not admissions.
Since 2025, Zero Balance Billing covers every PhilHealth member admitted to a basic or ward bed at a DOH-retained hospital, and BMC is one. You pay ₱0 — no means test, no indigency certificate, no separate application. The only variable is which bed you're assigned. Before 2025, ZBB was limited to indigents, sponsored members, Kasambahay, senior citizens and lifetime members; that base coverage still exists, but any PhilHealth member accepting a ward bed now qualifies regardless of income.
Outpatient services — clinic user fees, procedures, biopsies — are billed at the published rates above unless a specific assistance program applies. Choosing a private or semi-private room also takes you out of ZBB; your PhilHealth case rate is still deducted, but the remaining balance is yours.
What Zero Balance Billing covers
ZBB runs on PhilHealth Circular 0003 s.2014 and Circular 2020-0024, under the National Health Insurance Act (RA 7875) and the Universal Health Care Act (RA 11223). It's also called No Balance Billing (NBB) — the terms are interchangeable.
For a ward patient, ZBB covers the full confinement:
| What's covered |
|---|
| Room and board in basic/ward accommodation |
| Professional fees of attending physicians |
| Laboratory and diagnostic tests ordered during admission |
| Operating room use |
| Medicines stocked by the hospital's own pharmacy |
The funding mechanism is MAIFIP — the Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients fund, run by the DOH's Malasakit Program Office. PhilHealth's case rate pays first, and MAIFIP absorbs the gap. The 2026 General Appropriations Act allocated ₱51 billion to MAIFIP, up 25% year-on-year, to fund the nationwide ward-ZBB expansion. More than 1.3 million patients paid no hospital bill under ZBB in 2025.
What's not covered
- Private and semi-private rooms. Choosing one takes you out of ZBB entirely.
- Outpatient clinic fees, biopsies and specialty procedures are billed at BMC's published rates unless a specific program covers them.
- Elective, cosmetic and amenity services.
- Medicines the pharmacy doesn't have in stock. Coverage extends only to what's actually on the shelf — raise this with the PhilHealth CARES nurse before paying out of pocket; it's a supply issue, not a coverage exclusion.
For broader options if a bill still isn't manageable, see what to do if you can't pay a hospital bill and PCSO medical assistance.
The Malasakit Center
BMC hosts a Malasakit Center — the 39th nationwide, opened 3 August 2019.
It combines four government assistance programs at one counter so families aren't shuttling between offices while a relative is confined:
- DOH — medical assistance for indigent and financially incapacitated patients
- PhilHealth
- DSWD — assistance to individuals in crisis situations
- PCSO — medical and charity assistance
Using it is free. Assistance is usually issued as a Guarantee Letter against your remaining balance rather than cash — so for a private room, an outpatient procedure, or medicines the pharmacy doesn't stock, this is where you close the gap. See our full Malasakit Center guide for the process. Source: 39th Malasakit Center opens at Bicol Medical Center.
How to contact Bicol Medical Center
| Address | J. Miranda Avenue, Concepcion Pequeña, Naga City, Camarines Sur 4400 |
| Trunkline | (054) 472-6125 to 31 |
| HEMS | 0927-357-9967 |
| mcco@bmc.doh.gov.ph | |
| Website | bmc.doh.gov.ph |
Ask for Admitting for room availability, Billing for a specific cost estimate, and the Malasakit Center for financial assistance. For a fee not listed on the department rates pages, confirm directly with Billing rather than relying on third-party figures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bicol Medical Center free?
For PhilHealth members admitted to a basic ward bed, yes — you pay ₱0 out of pocket under Zero Balance Billing, regardless of income. Outpatient clinic visits, procedures and biopsies are billed at BMC's published rates unless covered by a specific assistance program.
Is Bicol Medical Center in Naga City or Naga, Cebu?
Naga City, Camarines Sur, in the Bicol Region. It is a different city from Naga, Cebu, which has its own separate hospitals. Make sure you're searching for the right one if you're comparing facilities.
How much is a clinic visit at BMC?
BMC's published Outpatient Department rates, as of March 2024, list a general clinic users fee of ₱50 and a pediatric injection fee of ₱10. A Pap smear is ₱60. Other procedures, like an excision/incision biopsy, range ₱1,200–₱1,500 depending on supplies used.
Is Bicol Medical Center a DOH hospital?
Yes, it is DOH-retained, operating under the direct supervision of the DOH Center for Health Development – Bicol. That status is what places BMC under Zero Balance Billing for ward patients.
Does Bicol Medical Center have a Malasakit Center?
Yes. It was the 39th Malasakit Center opened nationwide, on 3 August 2019. It combines DOH, PhilHealth, DSWD and PCSO assistance at one counter, and using it is free.
How many beds does Bicol Medical Center have?
1,000 beds, raised from 500 under RA 11478, approved 1 July 2020.
What specialty centers does BMC have?
A Cardiac Center, Regional Cancer Center, Renal Care and Transplant Center, Eye Care Center, Geriatric Center, Neonatal Center, Newborn Hearing Screening Reference Center, Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine Center, Poison Control and Drug Testing Laboratory, and a Teen Wellness Center.
Can I be refused treatment at BMC if I can't pay?
No. Emergency care cannot be withheld for inability to pay. See our guide on what to do if you can't pay a hospital bill.
Conclusion
Bicol Medical Center is a DOH-retained hospital, so the headline number for most inpatients is simple: accept a ward bed as a PhilHealth member and your bill should be ₱0 under Zero Balance Billing. For outpatient visits, BMC publishes its own fee schedule by department — a general clinic fee is ₱50, and specific procedures like biopsies run into four figures. Just remember this is the Naga City in Camarines Sur, not Naga, Cebu, and lean on the Malasakit Center for anything ZBB and the fee schedule don't cover.
For the full policy detail, see our Zero Balance Billing guide. To compare with another DOH-retained hospital, see Amai Pakpak Medical Center rates, and for the national picture, our hospital rates in the Philippines overview. To find other facilities near you, search ClinicFinderPH.