MANILA — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said the government’s zero balance billing program is delivering tangible results, citing billions of pesos in hospital expenses already shouldered by the state for indigent patients.
During his visit to the East Avenue Medical Center (EAMC) in Quezon City, Marcos revealed that between January and July 2025 alone, 18,818 patients in EAMC’s basic wards were discharged without paying a single peso, with costs amounting to P1.73 billion fully covered under the scheme.
“I’m happy to be able to report that the zero billing program is proceeding well. Siyempre sa umpisa, we have to do information drive, hindi lamang sa mga ospital kung hindi pati sa pasyente, and I think we are succeeding,” the President said.
“Malaking bagay diyan eh ikalat niyo ito. Word of mouth kasi ‘yung ibang mga pasyente sinasabi, ‘Ay wala kayo binabayad, ah meron palang ganyan.’ So, ikalat natin, paalam natin sa ibang tao para hindi na sila nagdadalawang-isip na magpatingin, magpagamot, at magpagaling,” he added.
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa explained that the program, announced by Marcos in his July 28 State of the Nation Address, ensures that PhilHealth covers 100 percent of expenses for patients confined in ward rooms of Department of Health (DOH) hospitals.
He clarified that patients do not need to file additional paperwork to avail of the benefit.
The DOH reported that 83 government hospitals have implemented the policy since the SONA. Eastern Visayas Medical Center recorded more than 12,000 beneficiaries, while over 2,400 were noted at EAMC.
While optimistic about the program’s rollout, Marcos acknowledged persistent bottlenecks in public hospitals, particularly long queues, but assured that agencies are working to ease these challenges./PN
