The Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines, Inc. (PHAPI) clarified on Tuesday that the majority of private hospitals in the country are still accepting guarantee letters (GLs) from the government.
This clarification comes after several public officials expressed disappointment upon receiving complaints that some private hospitals were no longer accepting GLs, especially those issued by the Department of Health (DOH).
In an interview on Balansyado on Tuesday, Dr. Jose Rene De Grano, PHAPi President, said that while there are discussions within their organization about discontinuing the acceptance of GLs, no official decision has been made yet—particularly with the DOH, whose outstanding payables to hospitals have grown significantly.
"Iyan lamang ay balak namin gawin pero right now tumatanggap pa kami. Dumating sa puntos na medyo lumaki iyong payables nila sa amin na under dito sa fund para sa Medical Assistance for Indigents and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) through the DOH," said De Grano.
De Grano added that the decision to accept GLs is up to individual private hospitals. He particularly cited hospitals in Batangas, where the total unpaid dues under the MAIFIP fund have reached ₱530 million.
According to Grano, 39 out of 44 private hospitals in Batangas have already stopped accepting GLs due to increasing operational costs.
"Ang nangyare diyan, sinasabi nila na may pondo sila. Nagtataka lamang kami at noong nakaraang dalawang buwan, tinanong namin tungkol dito sa mahigit P530 million [sa umanong utang sa mga ospital sa Batangas] at sabi nila babayaran nila," said De Grano.
"Hinintay namin 'yung pagdating, after almost two months, tinanong ko mga ospital kung may dumating, sabi nila may dumating pero pero pakonti-konti," he added.
De Grano said he raised the issue with the DOH regional office, which responded by saying they have released a total of ₱577 million in the area, although they did not specify the date of release. MAIFIP officials also informed Grano that they still have outstanding payables of around ₱480 million.
Under MAIFIP's Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), the hospitals must present a list of charges for reimbursement. These must be processed through a hospital social worker who verifies if the patient is indigent or financially incapacitated. The MOA also stipulates that payments should be made within 60 days.
De Grano observed that two possible reasons for the delays are: (1) the previous elections, during which GL-related funds may have been temporarily held; and (2) the overwhelming number of GLs submitted, which burdened the limited personnel assigned to process them. He emphasized that private hospitals choosing not to accept GLs should notify the DOH.
Meanwhile, De Grano remains hopeful that the DOH will fulfill its promise to settle its obligations soon—possibly within two weeks to a month.
"Una ko nang sinabihan noon si Health Sec. Ted Herbosa, sabi ko 'tulungan niyo naman kami' at sinabi niya 'okay, I'll look into it' then kinabukasan right away nakipag-usap sa akin 'yung region concerned at sinabi na medyo maghintay lang at inaayos naman po nila," he said.
"Sinabi ko rin sa aming mga members, let's wait a little bit longer dahil nangako rin naman ang DOH na pagbibigyan tayo," said De Grano.
The MAIFIP is a DOH program designed to help economically disadvantaged patients cover their medical expenses.
Depending on available funds and guidelines, MAIFIP may cover:
- Hospital bills
- Laboratory and diagnostic procedures
- Hemodialysis and chemotherapy sessions
- Implants, prostheses, and certain medical supplies
- Other medical services as determined by the hospital social worker or DOH office.
