THE Senate, cramming to pass urgent measures before going on a four-week recess this weekend, approved on third and final reading on Wednesday
the universal health care bill that, once enacted into law, assures “equal access to quality and affordable health services for all Filipinos.”
Voting 14-0, the Senate inched closer to final approval of an enabling law embodied in Senate Bill (SB) 1896 principally sponsored by Sen. Joseph Victor G. Ejercito, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography.
SB 1896 mandates immediate reforms in the “mandate, responsibilities and jurisdiction” of the different government agencies implementing the universal health care program, including the Department of Health (DOH), Philippine Health Insurance
Corp.(PhilHealth) and local government units.
In pushing early approval of the measure, Ejercito cited records from the Philippine Statistics Authority that “Filipinos spend around P6,345 for their health needs in 2016, or 8.7 percent higher from P5,840 in 2015.”
This means, he said, that the majority of Filipinos consulted a doctor only when their illnesses were already at their worst because of the lack of government support in health care. “This bill will ensure that financial issues will no longer be a burden to our countrymen when it comes to health care,” Ejercito added.
As provided in the remedial legislation, the senator assured that “all Filipino citizens will automatically be enrolled” into the National Health Insurance Program whether as direct contributor (those who have the capacity to pay premiums), or indirect contributor (those sponsored by the government like the indigents and senior citizens, among others).
Ejercito added that its early enactment into law will also expand the PhilHealth coverage to include free consultation fees, laboratory tests and other diagnostic services.
The bill, the senator added, also provides that all Filipino citizens can avail of primary health-care services even without the PhilHealth Identification Cards, noting that those not enrolled in the PhilHealth, once the bill becomes a law, can still avail themselves health-care services, since the premium subsidy will be gradually adjusted and included in the General Appropriations Act.
He recalled that, in 2013, the mandatory coverage of indigent patients and other sponsored members of the Department of Social Welfare and Development has increased PhilHealth coverage to up to 92 percent of the population, or roughly 93.5 million Filipinos.
According to Ejercito, the bill also mandates the improvement of doctor-to-patient ratio, upgrading of hospital-bed capacities and equipment, as well as establishment of hospitals in remote areas.
The DOH has pegged doctor-to-patient ratio at 1:33,000 while bed-to-population ratio was pegged at 1:1,121. In Metro Manila, bed-to-population ratio is 1:591 while bed to population ratio in Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao is 1:4,200.
Ejercito added that, under the bill, all graduates of health-related courses from state universities and colleges or government-funded scholarship programs will be required to serve for at least three years in the public sector.