Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said on Sunday that the DOH had already launched investigations into alleged “ghost” health centers and irregularities in its Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) program even before the issues were made public.
“The DOH has been investigating these anomalies way before the media picked it up,” Herbosa said in a social media post, emphasizing that the department had acted proactively on the matter.
Herbosa’s statement came after Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong raised concerns over possible misuse of funds under the MAIFIP program.
Lawmakers have likewise flagged the existence of “ghost health centers,” saying that only 200 of the 600 facilities constructed under the Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP) were functional.
The health chief said the department continues to gather evidence and file cases against those involved.
“Several actions have already been taken, and we continue to build up cases,” he said.
Herbosa added that the DOH is assessing how to make non-operational but completed facilities functional.
“We are looking at options to operationalize nonfunctioning but completed health facilities,” he said. The controversy adds to a string of recent corruption allegations involving other government agencies, including the Department of Public Works and Highways.
