President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday welcomed the agreement of the St. Luke’s Medical Center–Global City and the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. to boost the implementation of the no co-payment policy as an initiative that would make quality healthcare more accessible to more Filipino patients.
This was the two entities signed a memorandum of agreement.
“Getting sick is difficult enough. But for many families, the bigger worry is how to afford the treatment that they need,” the President said.
He added that patients or their families can’t always afford the cost of treatment when they turn to private hospitals.
“More often than not, patients turn to these institutions because they offer specialized expertise, advanced equipment, and complex treatments that their medical conditions require,” Marcos added.
Under the MOA, SLMC-Global City will help strengthen the implementation of the no co-payment policy
Marcos said this would make quality healthcare in a top private hospital more accessible to qualified Philhealth members.
“By joining this effort, St. Luke’s also sends an important message: that quality care in leading private hospitals can be made more accessible to qualified PhilHealth members, and that both government and the private sector have a role in making Universal Health Care work,” he said.
He went on: “For a family, it can mean relief from the fear that one medical emergency can consume their savings or force them to choose between treatment and other basic needs.”
The President also urged more healthcare institutions to support the state health insurer’s no co-payment policy in pursuit of true universal healthcare for all Filipinos.