Long lines? Marcos wants ‘zero balance billing' in public hospitals improved

The Star

2 days ago

MANILA: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr wants to address the issues and challenges hounding the implementation of his well-praised but also doubted 'zero balance billing' system in all of the about 80 hospitals run by the Department of Health (DOH).
The President, along with Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa, visited the Eastern Visayas Medical Center (EVMC) in Tacloban City on Monday to check if Filipino patients in the government-run hospital are provided with services without paying any cent out of their pocket.
'We received reports that after the zero balance billing was implemented, DOH hospitals experienced long lines. Sometimes, the hospitals do not know what to do,' he said.
'But from what I have seen here, everybody knows what they are supposed to do,' Marcos added.
The President directed Herbosa to ensure to all DOH that hospitals are well-versed in the processes of the zero balance billing, or what the Marcos' administration called as 'Bayad na Bill Mo' (BBM) programme
'We just have to make sure that all hospitals across the Philippines know the procedure since this is new. But I think they can manage, because it's very clear what PhilHealth (Philippine Health Insurance Inc.) is, what the DOH is, and who is qualified. Almost everyone is qualified,' he said.
'We will continue to improve this. This is a good development, but there is still much to be done for the healthcare system — and we can do it. We will definitely see real improvements,' Marcos added.
Among the beneficiaries of the programme was 48-year-old Rico Ligo, who was admitted at the EVMC after his lungs, diaphragm and colon were punctured. He was on vacation in Alangalang, Leyte, when he was injured in a stabbing incident.
For his surgery, Ligo's hospital bill reached P447,923.93, including hospital fee, professional fee and other procedures.
But his daughter Rica told the President they had paid none because EVMC is among the DOH hospitals in the country where the zero balance billing programme is being implemented.
The hospital (P32,760) and professional (P40,950) fees were shouldered by the (PhilHealth).
Meanwhile, the P372,561.44 fee for the ward use, laboratory, operating room use and other medical supplies were charged under the DOH. The remaining P1,652.49 charged for medicines not needed by the patient was refunded to the Ligo family.
Rica thanked the President and the DOH for helping them with the hospital expenses.
She said her father as a mall maintenance worker earning only minimum wage would not be able to afford paying the fees without the zero balance billing programme.
According to the DOH-EVMC, a total of 12,357 patients benefited from the programme as of July 31.
EVMC is the largest DOH hospital in the Eastern Visayas region, with 1,100 bed capacity.
It serves patients from Tacloban City, Leyte, Samar, and other nearby provinces. The hospital has 17 specialty centers and handles complex cases, making it a vital healthcare center in the region.
During his fourth State of the Nation Address, President Marcos announced that all patients, whether they are indigent or not, will no longer have to pay out of pocket when they are admitted at the basic ward of any of the 78 current DOH-operated hospitals.
The zero balance billing policy will eventually be implemented to four specialty hospitals—National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Philippine Heart Center, Lung Center of the Philippines, and Philippine Children's Medical Center—and the five DOH hospitals that will be operational soon.
This, however, only applies to basic or ward accommodation. A patient who opts to be transferred to a private room shall not be entitled to zero balance billing.
According to the DOH, it started zero-balance billing in DOH hospitals on May 14, or before it was even announced by the President during his fourth Sona on July 28.
Herbosa said the programme requires no additional documents or interviews, and all costs, including medicines and professional fees, are fully covered.
He assured the public that there is sufficient funding to sustain the program, noting that the President has even increased the DOH's maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) for all DOH hospitals by 15 per cent.
The Alliance of Health Workers (AHW), however, said this new policy would only put more burden on the DOH hospitals as this was implemented without first providing an additional budget to increase hospital staffing.
They warned that should this situation continue, the quality of service of these hospitals would be compromised.
Senator JV Ejercito earlier called for the passage of a measure seeking to provide an additional P74.4 billion subsidy for PhilHealth in order to sustain the zero-balance billing promise of the Universal Health Care (UHC) law.
Earlier on Monday, the President also committed that all 1,642 cities and towns in the country will be receiving patient transport vehicles (PTVs) from the national government.
A total of 124 PTVs were distributed on Monday across various municipalities and cities in the Eastern Visayas region, particularly in Biliran, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, Samar, Southern Leyte, and Leyte.
'Out of the 1,642 cities and towns, we have been able to give away 1,173 PTVs so it's already near our goal,' President Marcos said.
'Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office general manager Mel Robles promised me that by the year, we will start the second round of distribution of PTVs,' he added.
Each patient transport vehicle is equipped with essential medical tools, including a stretcher, oxygen tank, blood pressure monitor, and other supplies for patients. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN