Bicol hospital opens strokeunit, brain attack team

By Rhaydz Barcia

To prevent deaths and ensure immediate response during the critical “golden hour” of stroke management, the Bicol Regional Hospital and Medical Center (BRHMC) formally opened the region’s first Acute Stroke Unit and Brain Attack Team on Monday, May 11, 2026.

“Golden hour” refers to the critical first hour after a person experiences a stroke (or other life-threatening emergency). It is called the “golden” hour because this is when fast medical treatment has the highest chance of saving the patient’s life, and it can greatly reduce brain damage and long-term disability in stroke cases.

In stroke care specifically, every minute matters because brain cells begin to die quickly when blood flow is blocked. The BRHMC’s goal is to ensure patients are treated immediately within that crucial first hour to improve survival and recovery outcomes.

Dr. Eric Raborar, BRHMC medical director, said the new facility is the first of its kind in the Bicol Region within a government hospital, offering free treatment for patients suffering from stroke.

The inauguration, themed “Time is Brain: Advancing Stroke Care, Saving Lives,” was led by neurosurgeon specialist Lourdes Lucena, alongside hospital officials and local stakeholders.

Raborar said the establishment of the Acute Stroke Unit (ASU) marks a new chapter for government health care in the region, aiming to deliver fast, specialized, and life-saving services, especially as the Bicol Region ranks among the top areas in the country for stroke-related deaths.

He added that trained multidisciplinary teams are now in place to handle stroke cases, with the goal of improving survival and recovery rates through immediate intervention during the “golden hour.”

The hospital is also constructing additional facilities to accommodate the increasing number of stroke cases, including younger patients, with the youngest recorded case at BRHMC being 28 years old.

Lucena said the unit currently has at least four dedicated beds for close monitoring of stroke patients to determine whether they require transfer to the intensive care unit or a regular ward.

The hospital will also coordinate with local government units, particularly in Albay, to train barangay health workers to quickly identify stroke symptoms and ensure early referral.

Legazpi City Mayor Hisham Ismael, who attended the event, donated P500,000 to support the development of the facility, citing his background as a nurse and his commitment to strengthening hospital services.

Based on PSA data cited during the event, stroke remains among the leading causes of death in the region, alongside acute myocardial infarction and pneumonia.

BRHMC, formerly the Bicol Regional Training and Teaching Hospital, traces its roots to a 1918 U.S. Army hospital. Over the decades, it evolved into a major regional medical center, surviving wartime destruction and undergoing multiple expansions.

Today, the hospital has grown into an 800-bed subspecialty facility serving thousands of patients daily, positioning itself as a key referral center in the Bicol Region and continuing its expansion toward advanced and specialized care service.