Manila: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has appointed Dr. Edwin Mercado, the acting President and Chief Executive Officer of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), as the new secretary of the Department of Health (DOH). This appointment follows the resignation of Dr. Jose 'Brix' Pujalte Jr., as announced by Palace Press Officer Claire Castro on Monday.

According to Philippines News Agency, Dr. Pujalte 'voluntarily resigned' from his position due to health reasons. Pujalte had been appointed as the DOH secretary in July, taking over from the former secretary, Teodoro Herbosa. His tenure, however, was short-lived and overshadowed by a complaint against him, which was escalated from the Presidential Complaint Center to the Office of the Ombudsman. The complaint allegedly involved issues related to the procurement of tuberculosis-related supplies, among other concerns.

In the wake of these developments, Ayala Healthcare Holdings Inc.'s Chief Health Officer, Beverly Lorraine Ho, who is also a former DOH official, has been designated to replace Mercado as the President and CEO of the state health insurer, PhilHealth.