President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Monday visited the Eastern Visayas Medical Center to inspect the government’s “zero-billing” program, a policy that ensures patients confined in state-run hospitals will no longer be charged for medical expenses.
The initiative, jointly funded by the Department of Health (DOH) and the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), seeks to make hospitalization more accessible to millions of Filipinos who often struggle with high out-of-pocket healthcare costs.
“Absolutely zero, zero billing. She doesn’t have to pay anything anymore,” Mr. Marcos said in Filipino, recalling how one patient was discharged without settling any hospital fees.
“That’s the contribution of PhilHealth, that’s for the DOH. So, you can really see that it’s like that,” he added.
President Marcos acknowledged reports of long queues and confusion in some hospitals, but said the system appeared to be working well in Tacloban.
He tasked Health Secretary Ted Herbosa and DOH officials to ensure that all government hospitals are properly trained to implement the procedures nationwide.
“Make sure that the procedure is not only known here. They should be familiar with it in all of our DOH hospitals,” Mr. Marcos said.
Under the program, patients with minor illnesses are encouraged to first visit Bagong Urgent Care and Ambulatory Service (BUCAS) Centers, which handle non-confinement cases.
Those who need further treatment are then referred to hospitals, where their confinement is covered by the zero-billing policy.
The president said the initiative is part of broader healthcare reforms, which include expanding specialty centers, upgrading hospital facilities, and increasing the capacity of government-run health institutions.
“This is one good thing, but we need to do more for the healthcare system,” he said. “We can really see an improvement.”
The Eastern Visayas Medical Center, one of the largest hospitals in the region, has been at the forefront of implementing the program.
