DOH eyes eased rules on medical aid for indigents

The Department of Health (DOH) has asked Congress to support the agency’s proposal to ease the rules on the use of the medical assistance for indigent patients (MAIP) budget to increase the coverage of the said program.

Health Assistant Secretary Charade Mercado-Grande said the department has put forward suggestions to allow the DOH regional offices to enter into agreement with more hospitals.

“For now, our MAIP for 2023 covers medicine, hospitalization, and prosthetics used during operations. ...Under our [proposed] NEP (National Expenditure Program) for 2024, we did remove [the requirement] of submitting a certification by the medical center chief, so our regional offices can easily enter into MOA (memorandum of agreement),” Grande said during the deliberations on the proposed DOH budget for 2024 before the House appropriations panel.

“We also proposed expansion of health facilities covered by the MAIP, as well as MAIP coverage of medicines that are not listed under Philippine National Formulary (essential medicines), so long as it is prescribed by the doctor and registered in the FDA (Food and Drug Administration),” she added.

The Health official said the proposals were approved by the Department of Budget and Management.

The MAIP budget under the proposed P199 billion budget for DOH has been set at P22 billion, lower than its 2023 allocation of P32.6 billion.

Senate Finance committee chairperson Sonny Angara, however, said Congress will find a way to increase it.

"We expect a similar increase in the program in the final version of the 2024 budget,” Angara said. 

House Deputy Speaker Ralph Recto of Batangas earlier flagged the P10 billion budget cut on DOH’s proposed budget for 2024.  The department got an appropriation of P209 billion this year. —LDF, GMA Integrated News