Zero balance billing in effect for Cebu quake survivors, DOH assures

Survivors of the 6.9-magnitude earthquake in Cebu will not have to worry about hospital expenses, with the Department of Health assuring that zero balance billing is being enforced in state-run hospitals — and may soon extend to private facilities as well.

DOH Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo said on Friday that President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. ordered hospitals to waive fees for patients affected by the earthquake.

“Di ninyo po kailangan lumapit sa desk. Bill ninyo lang po, i-zero na po ‘yan sa utos na rin ng ating Pangulo," he said during the Bagong Pilipinas public briefing

(You don’t need to go to any desk. Just submit your bill, and it will be zeroed out, as ordered by the President.)

Three government hospitals closest to the quake-hit areas — Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, Cebu South Medical Center, and Eversley Childs Sanitarium and General Hospital are already implementing the policy.

“Ang ating tatlong DOH hospital sa pinakamalapit sa lugar… patuloy pa rin ‘yung ating zero balance billing," Domingo said.

(Our three DOH hospitals nearest the affected areas will continue implementing zero-balance billing.)

Domingo said PhilHealth is studying how to extend the policy to private hospitals if funding allows, while the Office of the President has released augmentation funds to support hospital repairs and operations.

Rapid response and patient transfers

The DOH deployed emergency medical teams immediately after the quake struck, transferring patients from affected facilities and sending medicines worth about P1 million.

“Mula ng gabi na lumindol nagdeploy agad ang DOH at sa deployment na ‘yon ay may bilang na ng mga pasyente na nailipat na mula sa ground zero," Domingo said. 

(From the night the earthquake hit, the DOH immediately deployed teams, and during that deployment, patients were already transferred from ground zero.)

As of Thursday night, 78 patients were being treated at Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center and 35 at the AFP Medical Center – Camp Lapu-Lapu Station Hospital (AFPMC-CLSH). The DOH remains on Code White alert to coordinate its emergency operations.

An initial assessment reported no major damage to hospitals, but nine primary care facilities in Daanbantayan, Medellin, Tubigon, Sogod, Tabuelan, Borbon, and Catmon are being checked for possible structural issues.

Most injuries are minor

Hospitals saw an influx of patients following the quake, but Domingo said most were treated for minor wounds and bruises, and only a few required intensive care.

“Marami talagang tao dahil dumadagsa po ang pasyente… Mabuti naman ang balita na hindi naman po mataas ‘yung bilang ng mga critically ill," Domingo noted. 

(There are indeed many people because patients are arriving… The good news is that the number of critically ill patients is not high.)

Overflow cases are being referred to larger hospitals, while facilities in Bogo City have started resuming normal operations.

Global and local support

The World Health Organization (WHO) and other international partners are ready to assist, Domingo said, and coordination is ongoing to manage incoming aid. The Philippine Emergency Medical Assistance Teams (PEMAT) stationed at Eastern Visayas Medical Center are also on standby for deployment.

Domingo also called on the public to support relief operations by donating blood and hygiene kits.

“Marami pong nagbibigay ng dugo… Dumami po ‘yung pila nagpapadonate ng dugo dahil alam nila na marami pong mga trauma patients na nangangailangan," he said. 

(Many people are donating blood… The number of blood donors increased because they know there are many trauma patients in need.)

Donations may be brought to the nearest coordination centers of the Office of Civil Defense, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), or DOH.

The DOH said it will continue monitoring facilities and coordinating aid to ensure that no earthquake survivor is denied medical care due to cost.

The Philippine Postal Corporation, on the other hand, deployed its fleet of vehicles in Central and Eastern Visayas to support the DSWD in transporting relief supplies to affected families in Cebu.

In a press statement, Philpost said the postal trucks were used to deliver food packs, sleeping kits, and laminated sacks for temporary shelters to Bogo City and nearby municipalities.

Postal Area 5 Director Marilyn Alcoy has been coordinating with DSWD Cebu to mobilize trucks and personnel, ensuring timely delivery of aid to evacuation centers and affected communities.

House support

Meanwhile, House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III, Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander "Sandro" Marcos, and Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan filed a resolution expressing support to the victims of the earthquake.

Under House Resolution No. 325, the lawmakers expressed “profound empathy, compassion, and unwavering solidarity” to the victims.

They also called on House members to “collectively and individually rise up to meet the challenges of relief and rehabilitation in the earthquake-stricken areas for the purpose of providing any form of assistance to the earthquake victims.” —with a report from Sundy Locus/AOL, GMA Integrated News