TACLOBAN CITY- Eight private hospitals in the region have entered a memorandum of agreement with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to fully implement the no balance billing (NBB) policy being promoted by the government.
The eight private health facilities that entered an agreement with PhilHealth were St. John Hospital in Catbalogan City; Ponferrada Polymedic Hospital in Guiuan, Eastern Samar; St. Scholastica Hospital in Catarman, Northern Samar; Oras Doctors Hospital in Oras, Eastern Samar; Leyte Baptist Hospital in Hilongos, Leyte; Domingo Casano Hospital in Dolores, Eastern Samar; Borongan Doctors Hospital in Borongan City; and Dr. Leon Domingo Memorial Infirmary Clinic in Llorente, Eastern Samar.
According to Dr. Leo Douglas Cardona, PhilHealth regional vice president, said that they are happy with the decision of these eight health facilities to enter with this agreement with their agency as this will further realize the vision of the national government under its universal health care (UHC).
Under the policy, all Filipinos are considered to have access to medical care, particularly in all government health facilities.
“This is the first of its kind not only in the region but in the entire country,” Cardona said in an interview after the signing of the agreement held on April 2 held at the PhilHealth office, this city.
These private hospitals, under the agreement, are to cover all case rate benefits in their implementation of the NBB policy in their ward accommodation.
The idea came from Cardona himself who want to ensure that all the Filipinos, especially the poor ones, would have access to medical care as being mandated under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Cardona said that the eight participating private health facilities voluntarily agreed to enter with partnership with PhilHealth reason why he is doubly happy.
He hope that other private hospitals in the region would also ink a similar agreement with them.
There are about 39 private hospitals operating in the region.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
