A lawmaker called on the Department of Health (DoH) Thursday to ensure that new guidelines for medical assistance prioritize ease of access for patients and eliminate the need for political intervention.

Senator Risa Hontiveros, who chairs the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, said a pending administrative order regarding the Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Persons (MAIFIP) program must clearly define procedures for financial aid.

She stressed that the revised rules should align with a 2026 national budget provision intended to end “patronage politics.”

The senator cited that under the current system, patients often seek “guarantee letters” from politicians to cover hospital costs.

“The decision in the Senate and the House was clear: Patients should no longer have to go door-to-door to politicians’ offices and beg for guarantee letters just to get medical treatment,” said the lawmaker. “I expect the DoH to ensure the new guidelines make it easier to obtain assistance and not harder for families.”

She highlighted the “anti-epal” provision in the 2026 budget, authored by Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson, which prohibits politicians from claiming credit for government aid. To make these reforms permanent, Hontiveros said she is moving forward with Senate Bill 1593, or the Universal Health Care Medical Assistance Program Act.