President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has directed the Department of Health (DOH) to work on achieving free hospitalization in all public hospitals.
“Actually, sinabihan ako ng President, gusto niya lahat ng public hospital libre. Kahit na sinong pumunta doon,” DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said in a Palace briefing on Tuesday.
The Health chief said he intends to get to that point as the President instructed. He reported that universal healthcare for poor Filipinos has already been attained.
“We have achieved Universal Health Coverage for the poorest Filipinos,” Herbosa said. Proof to this, he added, is the “No Balance Billing,” which means services such as laboratory exams, scans, and other procedures are free in public hospitals for indigents.
What needs to be addressed now, the President said, is the healthcare coverage for the rest of Filipinos.
Currently, the coverage does not apply to Filipinos capable of paying for healthcare services, he said. The goal, by the end of the President’s term, is to cover every Filipino regardless of income level, he added.
On his birthday, the Chief Executive ordered the DOH to cover the costs of all inpatient, outpatient, and emergency services in 22 public hospitals nationwide through the administration’s “Zero Billing” program.
Through his directive, the administration’s initiative to ensure healthcare accessibility for all is clear. PND
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