Universal healthcare bill certified urgent

President Duterte has certified as urgent a bill providing universal healthcare for Filipinos to ensure its swift passage in Congress within the year.

The President pushed for the approval of the measure aiming cover all Filipinos under the stateowned Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to avail of health services during a lengthy Cabinet meeting Monday.

“I’m very pleased to announce that our pet bill when we were in Congress, Universal Healthcare which we sponsored and defended in the Lower House was certified urgent by the President,” Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said in a press conference in Cavite Tuesday.

“This means that we can expect the Senate to act very quickly on the pending Universal Healthcare bill which is being heard by the Senate Committee on Health headed by Senator JV Ejercito,” he added.

Under the proposed law, Roque said the government seeks “to provide for the right to health by providing primary care to all Filipinos.”

“Dahil ito po ay na-certify ng urgent, sa taong ito po ay pupuwede na nating maasahan na maisasabatas itong Universal Healthcare,” he said.

The House of Representatives has passed on third and final reading its version of the universal healthcare bill last September. The Senate on the other hand has yet to pass its version.