Universal health care law needs more health facilities

The success of the implementation of the Universal Health Care law will be a work in progress that requires government to guarantee the availability of health care facilities to serve the rise in poor patients seeking medical benefits from the program.

Sen. JV Ejercito, principal author of the universal health care bill in the Senate, estimated that it will take at least six months for government to draw the implementing rules and regulations and the initial implementation of the law.

However, he said agencies tasked to finalize the IRR to speed up their job in order that poor Filipinos requiring immediate medical health will be able to access the benefits of the new law.

According to Ejercito, full implementation of the free medical health care benefits to Filipinos may start only after one year.

This will give Congress enough time to ensure the allocation of funds for the implementation of the medical care program.

“The Universal Health Care law will be a work in progress. Hindi naman agad iyan na pagkapirma ay maganda na agad ang implementation (Signing is not a guarantee that implementation will perfect),” he said.

Ejercito, who is seeking re-election, said the indigent must already be assured of medical benefits while awaiting for the full implementation of the law.

According to him lack of manpower and health facilities may pose as the stumbling blocks in ensuring successful implementation.

Earlier, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation assured the public that it has enough funds to implement the newlysigned law.

PhilHealth acting president Roy Ferrer said the state-owned firm still lacks R22 billion to guarantee a full implementation of the new law.

Ejercito, a member of the hugpong ng pagkakaisa senatorial team, said Congress has allocated R18 billion in the 2019 General, but an additional R22 billion will be needed for the medical care program.

“We have to allocate more funds to make sure that the needed health facilities are in place,” said the administration lawmaker.