Senator Win Gatchalian is urging the government to divert a portion of the proposed P49 billion budget for the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) to expand the country’s zero-balance billing program, a key component of the Universal Healthcare (UHC) law.

“It pains me to see some people, our constituents, lining up in politicians’ offices for medical help. We are putting the decision-making power on life and death in the hands of politicians, which is not the right thing to do because the system should help our constituents,” said Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate Committee on Finance, on Sunday.

The senator stressed that medical assistance should be institutionalized rather than reliant on discretionary funds. “Let’s just allocate MAIFIP funds to the zero-balance billing program. We should reform our Universal Healthcare system to ensure access to quality health services for all Filipinos without financial hardship,” he added.

The Senate finance panel has likewise asserted that the zero-balance billing program and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) should be sufficient to assist patients seeking treatment in public hospitals.

Gatchalian, however, underscored the importance of expanding the absorptive capacity of public hospitals, noting that many have already exceeded their bed capacity.

He warned that once the zero-balance billing program is fully implemented, occupancy rates could rise even higher, straining hospital resources further.

The senator’s proposal forms part of broader discussions on healthcare reform and equitable access to medical services, as lawmakers deliberate on the national budget and the government’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the Universal Healthcare system.