Like a doctor checking in on his patients, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visited the Eastern Visayas Medical Center (EVMC) to inspect the implementation of zero-billing for patients in hospitals run by the Department of Health (DoH).

In his fourth State of the Nation Address (SoNA), Marcos announced that qualified patients confined in government hospitals who receive basic care will enjoy zero-balance billing benefits to ease the burden of healthcare expenses.

“We’re here at the Eastern Visayas Medical Center and I just came for a visit because I wanted to see if our zero-billing implementation is going well,” he said.

He acknowledged reports that patients sometimes encounter long queues at cashier and accounting offices due to the new policy.

“There are reports that sometimes the lines are long or that not everyone knows what needs to be done. But from what I see, everybody knows what they are supposed to do,” he noted.

During his visit, Marcos met Rica, the daughter of a patient, Rico Ligo, who spent three weeks at EVMC, including two in the Intensive Care Unit after sustaining three stab wounds in a stabbing incident. Rica shared that her father benefited from the “zero-balance” billing program.

Based on the State of Account presented by the President, Ligo’s total hospital bill reached P406,973.93. PhilHealth deducted P32,760, while the DoH covered the remaining balance of P372,561.44. Ligo also underwent two major operations during his confinement.

Marcos likened the discharge process to checking out of a hotel.

“She just came down to bring – like a hotel, check out. Because if you look, there's nothing left, really zero, zero billing,” Marcos said as he showed a receipt.

“She doesn't have to pay anything. This is the PhilHealth contribution, this is the DOH contribution. So, you can see that it's really like that,” he added.

Directive to DoH

The President ordered the DoH to ensure that all hospitals under its supervision implement the program effectively.

“We just have to make sure that all hospitals in the Philippines know the procedure because it's new. But I think they can do it because it's very clear what PhilHealth is, what DOH is, and who is qualified. Everyone is almost qualified,” he said.

Marcos added that patients who do not require hospital admission can instead seek treatment at Bagong Urgent Care and Ambulatory Service (BUCAS) centers.

“There is no additional fee, no paperwork, nothing else to do. Just sign, they can take their patient home,” he emphasized.

The President assured that the government remains committed to strengthening the healthcare system.

“We will make it better. This is one good thing but there is still a lot that needs to be done for the healthcare system and we can do it. We will really see some improvement,” he said.