DOH: Govt not closing down charity wards

The Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday clarified that they are not dissolving or closing down the charity wards in public hospitals nationwide.

 

"Hindi po madidissolve yung charity wards, there is no policy or paper that dissolves the charity ward," Health Undersecretary Teodoro Herbosa said during a press briefing in Malacañang.

 

Herbosa issued the statement after the government received flak for supposedy deciding to close down charity wards in government hospitals.

 

Herbosa, however, said they will just be converting the charity wards into PhilHealth wards.

 

He explained that they are trying a new system wherein sponsored PhilHealth members and their beneficiaries won't have to pay anything in government hospitals. But he quickly added that this doesn't mean that the charity wards will be closed down.

 

"The charity wards will continue, the charity patients will continue because there are still patients out there who may be out of the insurance system," he said.

 

"But because of our enrollment to PhilHealth, effectively kokonti na lang sila. If we achieve universal healthcare, they should hopefully be zero," he added. PhilHealth program

 

The DOH official said that around 5.2 million households earlier identified by the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction were automatically registered in the PhilHealth program.

 

He said the 5.2 million households or 20 million poorest of the poor people nationwide, along with another five million households registered by the local government, can avail of free treatment and hospitalization in government-run hospitals.

 

"All government hospitals are supposed to accept those enrolled in the sponsored program on a no balance billing, that means no payment na additional so all they come [with] is their PhilHealth membership," he said.

 

"We're not closing our charity wards but effectively we have enrolled the poor in PhilHealth and now they should claim their benefits," he added.

 

But Herbosa admitted that the system is not perfect yet since they are still beginning its implementation.

 

"We are in transition...so talagang nagbabago ho ang system and a lot of people are not used to this. A lot of people are still complaining and they still have to understand what PhilHealth is and what the benefits are and how to avail of all of these," he said.

 

"That's a step closer to what we call universal healthcare," he added.

 

Herbosa said P12 billion was allocated for this project.  

 

The DOH official said they are also looking into the possibility of convincing private hospitals to offer the same no billing policy to sponsored PhilHealth beneficiaries.

 

But PhilHealth president and CEO Dr. Eduardo Banzon, who was also present during Thursday's briefing, assured that when it is implemented in private hospitals, the beneficiaries and other members would not be rejected.

 

"[I give you a] 100 percent assurance that any hospital that is accredited with PhilHealth will accept you po and if there is any hospital [does not], just tell us.  They are legally obliged to accept our members," Banzon said.

 

"PhilHealth was designed to protect your interest because pondo ninyo minamanage namin and we will make sure po na maalagaan kayo," he added.

 

Banzon likewise said they have been talking to "big" hospitals like the Medical City and St. Luke's Hospital and have committed to continue accepting PhilHealth members.

 

Herbosa said that around 80 percent of the Philippine population is already enrolled to PhilHealth. — RSJ, GMA News