MANILA, Philippines — Petitioners urge the government to ensure PhilHealth has enough funds to serve all Filipinos effectively. They warn that without adequate financing, indigent patients face being pushed to overcrowded public hospitals or risk having their guarantee letters rejected by private health facilities.
The groups challenging the constitutionality of the P89.9-billion transfer of PhilHealth funds to the national treasury last year emphasize the need to preserve PhilHealth’s budget. They believe a properly funded PhilHealth is vital to uphold the right to health and ease the burden on patients.
Demand for Proper PhilHealth Funds Allocation
“To tackle issues caused by patronage-driven and fragmented healthcare financing, Congress must ensure PhilHealth funds are allocated correctly as mandated by the Universal Health Care Act,” the petitioners said in a joint statement.
The statement was signed by former government officials, legal experts, health advocates, and urban poor leaders. They were joined by organizations such as the Philippine Medical Association, Public Services Independent Labor Confederation, and Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa.
Sources noted their concern over delays in payments from the Department of Health’s Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) program. These delays reportedly cause private hospitals to hesitate in accepting guarantee letters from indigent patients.
Backing Calls for Streamlined Government Aid
The groups support the Department of Health’s earlier appeal to channel government assistance through PhilHealth instead of relying on guarantee letters from various government offices and politicians.
PhilHealth’s accessibility at hospitals nationwide means patients should not need to depend on seeking medical help through political favors or separate guarantee letters.
Healthcare Burden and Patronage Politics
“Accessing MAIFIP is complicated, burdensome for patients and their families, and often influenced by political patronage, making assistance arbitrary,” said local leaders. They questioned why guarantee letters remain a requirement in non-DOH hospitals when such documents are not mandated by DOH guidelines.
The petitioners stressed that simply directing patients to public hospitals doesn’t solve the deep-rooted issues in the health system, especially since private facilities currently provide 65 percent of health services, compared to 35 percent by government hospitals.
“Reducing PhilHealth’s budget in favor of MAIFIP will force more patients into already overcrowded and understaffed public hospitals lacking sufficient equipment,” they added. Strengthening public health facilities and ensuring adequate funding for health workers remain urgent priorities.
Funding Imbalance Between PhilHealth and MAIFIP
The petitioners raised alarms about MAIFIP becoming one of the most heavily funded programs in the Department of Health. The 2025 budget allocates P41.16 billion to MAIFIP, while PhilHealth receives no direct appropriation.
“Continuously increasing MAIFIP’s budget risks normalizing public funds used for patronage politics,” local experts warned. They stressed that indigent patients should access health services with dignity through PhilHealth coverage, not feel indebted to politicians for guarantee letters.
As oral arguments about the PhilHealth funds transfer wrapped up in April, petitioners hope the Supreme Court will soon uphold the right to health for over 100 million Filipinos amid the upcoming budget season.
“We must stop the unlawful practice of defunding PhilHealth, which undermines universal health coverage,” they concluded.
“The Executive and Congress have been withholding funds for Universal Health Care that would alleviate Filipinos’ healthcare burdens, protect them from seeking guarantee letters from politicians, and secure every citizen’s right to health benefits,” the petitioners emphasized.
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