Group wants medical aid for indigents

MANILA, Philippines — A key leader of the House of Representatives, along with her party-list group seeking reelection in the May 9 elections, has vowed to push for the institutionalization of medical aid for indigent patients confined in private hospitals.

The Bagong Henerasyon organization of Deputy Speaker Bernadette Herrera said the government should ensure that medical assistance programs under the Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare and Development and other agencies are  accessible to more people.

“We have a very efficient medical assistance program in place. The DOH and DSWD have that. So, we don’t have a problem like that in public hospitals because poor patients can be discharged without having to pay any fee,” she said.

“In private hospitals, we have to have a MOA (memorandum of agreement) with government. That would be a mechanism for government to put funds in private hospitals in cases of emergencies,” Herrera added.

“The government can still help our indigent patients who happen to avail themselves of medical care at the nearest hospital available. We can course this through the Universal Health Care Law and the medical assistance program,” she said.

Herrera said the COVID-19 experience has made it more imperative for government to expand its medical assistance program to include indigent patients confined in private hospitals not by their own choosing.

“We have seen during this pandemic how overwhelmed our hospitals were, where people or our constituents have no more choice, including our indigent patients, who are forced to go to private hospitals,” she pointed out.