Pujalte quits DOH; Mercado named new Health chief
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Malacañang on Monday announced the resignation of Health Secretary Jose “Brix” Pujalte, less than a month after his appointment, with PhilHealth President and CEO Dr. Edwin Mercado named as his replacement.
Palace Press Officer and Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said Pujalte resigned for health reasons and that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had accepted his resignation.
“Pujalte resigned because of health reasons. We cannot answer whether his resignation is in connection with the controversies that he faces. The resignation was accepted by the President,” Castro said.
Pujalte, who was appointed on 13 July, had one of the shortest tenures as Health secretary.
His resignation came as he faced complaints over his leadership of the Department of Health.
A complaint was filed against Pujalte before the Office of the Ombudsman over allegations that he improperly suspended the procurement of anti-tuberculosis commodities and delayed the bidding process to favor an unnamed supplier.
Pujalte denied the allegations, maintaining that conducting due diligence should not be misrepresented as an attempt to halt the government’s tuberculosis program or deprive patients of necessary medicines.
He also faced a complaint before the Presidential Action Center from “concerned citizens” over allegations that he had been seen at various hotel casinos, which he also denied.
Castro declined to say whether the controversies were connected to his resignation.
Meanwhile, Dr. Beverly Lorraine C. Ho was appointed acting president and CEO of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation following Mercado’s move to the DOH.
Ho currently serves as chief health officer of Ayala Healthcare Holdings Inc. She previously served as a DOH assistant secretary from January 2023 to 2024 and as undersecretary from July to December 2022.
Mercado had been appointed PhilHealth chief amid heavy scrutiny and calls for the ouster of his predecessor, Emmanuel Ledesma Jr.
Before joining PhilHealth, Mercado served as vice chairman of Mercado General Hospital/Qualimed Health Network beginning in March 2021.
Under his leadership, Mercado General Hospital Inc. expanded into a network that includes four general hospitals, six multispecialty clinics, two surgery centers, 150 primary care corporate clinics, a college for paramedical professionals and a physician practice group of 400 doctors.
Mercado earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of the Philippines in 1987 and completed a Master of Medical Sciences in Global Health Delivery at Harvard Medical School in 2023.
He also holds an Executive Master’s in Healthcare Administration from the University of North Carolina.
Mercado is a faculty lecturer at the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health and a guest lecturer at the University of the Philippines College of Public Health.
