The Department of Health (DOH) believes that medical assistance will be FASTER and EFFECTIVE if the additional MAIFIP funds are sent directly to LGUs or local governments. This comes after heated discussions on the proposed increase in MAIFIP's budget to P51 BILLION.
According to the DOH, the current MAIFIP system is slow because it still requires paperwork and GUARANTEE LETTER from politicians. The agency would prefer to expand ZERO-BALANCE BILLING, where the patient will not have to pay anything to the hospital as long as he is a member of PHILHEALTH and is admitted to the basic ward of a DOH hospital.
The DOH proposed that 70–80% of the additional funds go directly to LGU HOSPITALS, while the remaining 20–30% be allocated to the CATASTROPHIC HEALTH FUND for serious cases. The DOH insists that the funds will not disappear—what matters is where they will go so that patients can be helped more EQUAL and QUICKLY.
