Ilocos Norte: The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) has called on private hospitals in Ilocos Norte to adopt its no balance billing (NBB) policy. This initiative aims to ensure that all patients, regardless of their financial status, have equitable access to healthcare services.
According to Philippines News Agency, Eduardo Dularte, the chief social insurance officer of PhilHealth in Ilocos Norte, emphasized in a recent media interview that the NBB policy is designed to accommodate patients with both ordinary and serious illnesses. Out of the 13 private hospitals in the region, eight have already expressed their intent to sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to implement the NBB policy.
Dularte expressed hope that more private hospitals would support the NBB policy by signing the MOA with PhilHealth. The policy guarantees member-patients access to comprehensive healthcare services, including preventive, promotive, curative, and rehabilitative care, without the burden of out-of-pocket expenses. These services cover basic hospital rooms, food, medicines, medical supplies, laboratory facilities, and doctor's professional fees for eligible patients.
Among the private hospitals leading the charge is the Karmelli Clinic and Hospital, along with its branch clinic in Pinili town. Dr. Norman Panfilo Rabago, the hospital's chief executive officer, stated that their participation in the NBB policy aligns with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s mission to promote universal healthcare. Rabago noted that the hospital aims to complement government hospitals by providing care for patients who cannot be accommodated in public facilities.
"We accepted the challenge, not to compete with government hospitals, but to augment the need of patients who cannot be accommodated in government hospitals and give them a little comfort from queuing up in public hospitals," Rabago explained.
Rabago further mentioned that the hospital has doctors and three nurses who have volunteered to care for up to 12 patients in the charity ward. Dr. Johanna Violeta Perez-Villalon, a surgeon at the Karmelli Clinic and Hospital, affirmed their commitment to equity, stating, "We believe in equity and we are ready to help."
