The Department of Health (DOH) announced it will soon exclude road violators from its zero balance billing policy in public hospitals.
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa made the statement during a joint press conference with Jean Todt, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, on Thursday.
“Today, I’m announcing that if you are admitted because you are not wearing a helmet, you are not wearing a seatbelt, you were drinking—you are now disqualified from the zero balance bill,” Herbosa said.
While no timeline has been set, Herbosa said the department will soon issue guidelines to all hospitals.
“We do not deny care, what we will do is bill them when they get discharged,” he explained. “If you drink, get into a crash, sustain injuries, and it is determined through blood tests or a breath analyzer that you were under the influence above the legal limit—then you are disqualified from the zero balance benefit.”
Herbosa clarified that victims of road crashes and traffic injuries will remain covered.
“All the victims of road crash will actually be covered—if they are admitted in any of our trauma centers and any of our DOH hospitals, they are covered by the zero balance, especially if the road crash is not their fault,” he said.
The move is part of the DOH’s campaign to improve road safety. Road accidents kill about 12,000 Filipinos annually and injured more than 37,000 in 2024.
Herbosa said he hopes the policy will encourage motorists to strictly follow traffic laws.