By Brian Campued
The “zero balance billing” being implemented in all Department of Health (DOH)-run hospitals across the country is applicable to everyone as long as they are admitted to basic accommodation, DOH Sec. Teodoro Herbosa confirmed Tuesday.
This as President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. announced in his 4th SONA on Monday that the government is now implementing zero-balance billing to ease the financial burden on patients who require medical care.
“Areglado na ang lahat sa ospital pa lang. Wala nang kailangan pang puntahan o lapitan pa. Ibig sabihin, ang serbisyo sa basic accommodation sa ating mga DOH na ospital wala nang babayaran ang pasyente dahil bayad na ang bill ninyo,” Marcos said.
In a post-State of the Nation Address (SONA) discussion, Herbosa said the DOH has “soft-launched” the “Bayad na Bill Mo” initiative on May 14 through funding from the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) Program.
“Basta huwag lang kayo nasa private, kasi kapag nagpunta ka sa private may bayad iyong doktor, may bayad iyong room. Basta nasa basic accommodation ka ng DOH, bayad na ang bill mo,” he stressed.
However, he added that advanced medical procedures will not be included in the zero-billing program but these may be covered by other government services, such as from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).
Herbosa noted that wards in at least 40 of the 83 DOH-run hospitals are now air-conditioned after funding for the department’s Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) was increased.
Meanwhile, the four specialized hospitals run by government-owned and -controlled corporations in the country—the Philippine Heart Center, Lung Center of the Philippines, National Kidney and Transplant Institute, and the Philippine Children’s Medical Center—are not covered by no-billing policy, although they may offer separate benefits through PhilHealth or other assistance programs.
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