MANILA, Philippines — Physicians providing free services deserve to be regonized through, among others, tax incentives, said Senator Grace Poe, who filed Senate Bill No. 1715 or the “Physician Pro Bono Care Act” which seeks to give tax incentives to physicians rendering free services to indigent patients.
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“This bill recognizes and incentivizes, through the grant of tax credit, the invaluable pro bono services of physicians to the country with or without a pandemic,” Poe said in the bill’s explanatory note.
“It is expected that a tax incentive for providing charity care would increase physician participation and hours in such care,” Poe added.
Under the bill, physicians rendering pro bono services to indigent patients shall be entitled to a tax credit to be deducted from their gross income.
The bill mandates the Department of Health (DOH) and the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) to evaluate the pro bono services rendered by the physicians considering the number of hours they provided and the nature of treatment involved.
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Internal Revenue, in coordination with the DOH and the PMA, shall promulgate the rules and regulations of the bill once signed into law.
According to Poe, in 2019, the Philippines has a doctor-to-patient ratio of 1:33,000, which is way off the 1:6,600 global average.
Further, the senator noted that six out of ten Filipinos die without having consulted a doctor.
“The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic even exacerbated the above-mentioned healthcare situation in the country and further highlighted the importance of having adequate number of doctors in protecting and advancing public health,” Poe said.
“The pandemic also widened the gap to quality healthcare access among the poor and marginalized,” the senator added.