No worries for impoverished Filipinos next year on their hospital and medicine bills – they will be shouldered by the government!
Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial announced the free hospitalization for the poor Filipinos yesterday during her visit to the Integrated Provincial Hospital Office (IPHO) in Maguindanao.
“There’s no need to hold any card of PhilHealth, just prove to us you are a Filipino, you are entitled to be covered by health benefits, the PhilHealth will take care of the hospital billings and other concerns,” she said.
This would also cover government pharmacies so that poor people could acquire free medication now.
Ubial said that President Rodrigo Duterte told her to “just take care of the poor” and he will find the money for it.
She said this after an increase of the funds alloted by the Budget department to subsidize the hospital necessities of the poor and needy.
Ubial added that the Health Department is in stable financial standing after the Budget Department paid the arrears of P 32 Billion from the P42 Billion deficits of PhilHealth last November.
“This the is first time in [DOH] history … President Duterte has exerted all efforts and expect changes in the next days … poor patients will leave hospitals with no billings balance.”
Other government agencies like PAGCOR also contributed to make this possible, Ubial said.
