THE PHILIPPINE government aims to complete the rollout of patient transfer vehicles (PTVs) to all 1,642 cities and municipalities by December, as President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. promised to eliminate out-of-pocket hospital expenses for Filipinos and overhaul the country’s underfunded health system.
So far, 1,173 PTVs have been distributed, including several towns in Leyte and Samar receiving ambulances for the first time, with the President leading the distribution of 124 PTVs for Eastern Visayas on Monday.
Mr. Marcos, in his speech in Ormoc City, said that a second wave of allocations will commence once nationwide coverage is achieved, targeting larger cities where a single unit is insufficient.
The program aligns with the government’s “zero billing” policy in Department of Health (DoH) hospitals, announced in the President’s fourth State of the Nation Address last July 28.
Patients are expected to walk out of public hospitals with a receipt showing no charges, while prescriptions can be filled free of cost at accredited pharmacies.
According to the Presidential Communications Office, PTVs are modern ambulances. Mr. Marcos said the government deliberately chose smaller, easier-to-repair models to ensure reliability in rural areas where bulky ambulances cannot easily navigate.
Meanwhile, on a separate visit to the Eastern Visayas Medical Center in Tacloban City, Mr. Marcos said the “zero billing” policy was working as intended after reports of long queues.
“Now, we just have to make sure that all hospitals across the Philippines know the procedure since this is new,” Mr. Marcos said in Filipino. “But I think they can manage because it’s very clear what PhilHealth covers, what the Department of Health covers, and who is qualified. Almost everyone is qualified.”
The President acknowledged problems, including long queues and a lack of clarity in procedures, and instructed Health Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa to ensure all DoH hospitals adopt uniform processes.
The reforms come after the coronavirus pandemic exposed gaps in the Philippine healthcare infrastructure. Mr. Marcos has pledged to establish virology and specialty centers, deploy a doctor in every municipality, and invest in dialysis and cancer treatment facilities.
In a related development, the President urged Filipino doctors and nurses to stay in the country as more healthcare professionals work abroad due to lower wages and uncompetitive compensation packages.
“Our nurses and doctors are thinking of leaving and working abroad. But we are encouraging them to stay. They are Filipinos; of course, they want to help their own people,” he said. “For the first time in the Philippines, every single municipality and every single city has a doctor now.” — Chloe Mari A. Hufana
