Co urges DOH to pay doctors quickly so they won’t refuse poor patients

SICK AND POOR Poor patients who do not enjoy the benefits of health insurance flock to the pediatric ward of Quirino Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City to seek treatment for various ailments. (File photo from RICHARD REYES)

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) must ensure that doctors are paid timely so that they would not refuse treating patients covered by the Medical Assistance for Indigent Patients Program (MAIPP), Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co said.

Co, head of the House of Representatives committee on appropriations, said on Wednesday that he met with DOH officials to address concerns about doctors refusing patients under MAIPP because it takes too long for the government to reimburse physicians.

According to the lawmaker, if the doctors are paid on time, a major clog in the provision of medical services will be cleared.

“Hindi pwede ang sistemang mabagal ang pagbayad sa mga doktor. Kailangan nating tiyakin na ang ating mga doktor ay tumatanggap ng bayad sa tamang oras,” he said in a statement.

(We cannot have a system that is delayed in paying doctors. We need to ensure that our doctors are paid on time.)

“Kung mas mabilis nating mababayaran ang mga doktor, mas marami ang magiging handang tumulong sa ilalim ng MAIPP. Hindi dapat nagiging sagabal ang payment delays sa pagserbisyo sa ating mga kababayan,” he added.

(If the doctors are paid immediately, more medical professionals would be willing to help under MAIPP. Payment delays should not be obstacles in serving our countrymen.)

Last August 7, Co suggested that the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) shoulder the professional fees of doctors treating indigent patients, saying that it will be their share to the country’s healthcare system.

The lawmaker said this as the committee on appropriations was discussing PCSO’s contributions to the national budget.

READ: PCSO should shoulder doctors’ fee of poor patients, says lawmaker 

Co, meanwhile, suggested that the PCSO, if it can shoulder the PFs, also adopt a system of corporate credit cards to hospitals, where a hospital would just swipe a card so that PFs can be credited to doctors who treat patients who are beneficiaries of MAIPP.

“There’s no loss to PCSO, the professional fee, as to how much you can shoulder — you cannot spend P5 billion if your budget is only P1 billion. This means that if you have already exhausted your funds, it will end but at least we had a better brand of service by creating a faster and more efficient way of solving the problem,” he said.

Both the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and doctors’ organizations, Co said, will also be asked to appear before the committee so that this problem of doctors evading patients under MAIPP can be solved.

“Ang mahalaga ay magtulungan tayo para masolusyunan ang problemang ito. Hindi tayo titigil hangga’t hindi natin napapabuti ang sistema para sa kapakanan ng ating mga doktor at mga pasyente,” Co said.

(What’s important is we are helping each other find a solution to this problem. We won’t stop until we have improved the system for the benefit of our doctors and patients.)