Corruption in the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) threatens the successful implementation of Universal Health Care, which seeks to provides free health insurance coverage to all Filipinos, senatorial candidate Harry Roque said on Friday.
“There is a real threat to the genuine and full implementation of our Universal Health Care law. What we want is zero billing for all patients, but thus is threatened by the corruption in PhilHealth,” the former presidential spokesman said.
Roque said he was studying the implications of replacing PhilHealth with a National Health Service that would guarantee “zero billing” in hospitals, free health services, medicines, and medical tests for those seeking treatment.
“I am studying it carefully if it is time to abolish PhilHealth and replace it with a National Health Service to weed out corruption,” Roque said.
“If necessary, we will file an amendatory law to the UHC Act for the creation of the National Health Service,” he added.
Roque authored the UHC Act when he was still a member of the House of Representatives. The law calls for improving the doctor-to-patient ratio, upgrading hospital bed capacities and equipment, and establishing hospitals in remote areas.
Under the UHC, graduates of health-related courses from state universities and colleges or government-funded scholarship programs must serve in the public sector for at least three years.