Latest news with #UniversalHealthCareAct
GMA Network
08-07-2025
- Health
- GMA Network
DepEd, DOH expand healthy learning program to 1,500 public schools
More than 1,500 public schools across the Philippines are now implementing health-promoting policies and practices under the Department of Education's (DepEd) Healthy Learning Institutions (HLI) program—a nationwide initiative in partnership with the Department of Health (DOH) and other stakeholders to make schools safer, healthier, and more inclusive for learners. The HLI initiative, launched in 2022, supports schools in improving sanitation facilities, strengthening nutrition and mental health services, and enhancing learner well-being. Backed by a joint administrative order signed by seven agencies, including DepEd, DOH, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and the Legal Education Board (LEB), the program brings to life the Universal Health Care Act's vision of schools as healthy settings for children and adolescents. A major focus of the initiative has been on so-called 'Last Mile Schools,' or institutions in geographically isolated or underserved communities. According to the education department, over 1,300 of the participating schools fall under this category, receiving direct support for improvements ranging from hygiene facilities to health training. One such school is Taguiporo Elementary School in Bantay, Ilocos Sur. Previously struggling with poor sanitation and limited services, it has since been recognized as one of the 38 Outstanding Last Mile Schools after receiving a P100,000 grant. The funds were used to build gender-sensitive, PWD-accessible toilets; expand feeding and dental programs; and start a backyard garden that now feeds students and their families. The HLI program is structured around six pillars of school health and well-being, assessed using a self-appraisal system. In 2024, DepEd launched a three-tier recognition framework certifying schools as Satisfactory, Very Satisfactory, or Outstanding based on compliance with health standards developed with WHO guidance and local policy. To further strengthen implementation, national onboarding sessions for school heads and health officers are scheduled for July 14–15. DepEd is also rolling out a School Self-Appraisal Checklist and a shared 'Map of Materials' to support health promotion in campuses. Although the program is currently operating under interim guidelines, DepEd is preparing a department order to institutionalize the HLI framework. This upcoming policy will embed the star-rating system into the agency's Learner Support Framework and make health promotion a sustained part of school operations. 'Hindi lang dapat ligtas sa sakuna ang paaralan. Dapat ligtas din sa gutom, sa sakit, at sa kawalan ng suporta,' said Education Secretary Sonny Angara. (Schools should not only be safe from disasters but also free from hunger, illness, and lack of support.) —VBL, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
07-07-2025
- Health
- GMA Network
Palace says DOH has enough funds to settle claims of private hospitals
Malacañang on Monday guaranteed that the Department of Health (DOH) has sufficient funds to settle the claims of private hospitals for services and treatments provided to indigent patients. At a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro clarified reports that some health facilities have stopped accepting government guarantee letters covering the hospital bills of patients who have no financial capacity to pay. She said that 39 hospitals in Batangas are facing issues with guarantee letters due to incomplete or missing documentation. 'Hindi naman po nagkakaproblema ang gobyerno patungkol po sa pagbabayad ng mga bills po ng ating mga kababayan na covered po ng guarantee letters,' Castro said. (The government does not encounter problems in settling bills for Filipinos who are covered with guarantee letters.) 'Dito lamang po sa 39 hospitals na kinakailangan po ng DOH iyong ibang mga dokumento para po sila'y mabayaran. So doon po sa maniningil na mga hospitals, kumpletuhin lang po iyong inyong mga dokumento dahil po ang DOH ang sinasabi sa atin ay may sapat na pondo,' Castro explained. (In these 39 hospitals, the DOH needs documents so they can get paid. So for those hospitals, just complete the documents needed by the DOH because the latter is saying that it has enough funds.) She noted that under the Universal Health Care Act and a memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the DOH and private hospitals, the latter are required to allocate 10 percent of their authorized bed capacity for poor patients. She said indigent patients are entitled to zero hospital billing through the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth). Castro added that they could also visit DOH hospitals without the need for guarantee letters from government officials.—LDF, GMA
GMA Network
25-06-2025
- Health
- GMA Network
PhilHealth to undergo major revamp —GCG
The Governance Commission for Government-Owned or -Controlled Corporations (GCG) on Wednesday said the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) will undergo restructuring to improve its efficiency and solve operational issues. 'The restructuring includes a revamped organizational structure with 503 units and a total of 7,149 positions designed to improve service delivery and strengthen the agency's capability to fulfill its expanded mandate under the Republic Act (R.A.) No. 11223 or the 'Universal Health Care Act,' GCG said in a statement. "This major revamp aims to enhance PhilHealth's efficiency and address key operational challenges," it added. Among the issues it aimed to address are the outdated workforce, fragmented data, strategy execution, and issues related to benefit claims. CGC also identified the five critical services to be centralized: finance, legal, information technology, procurement, human resources, and general administration services. 'The centralization of these administrative functions is seen to address the inconsistencies and conflicts in the current operational framework of PhilHealth, maintain responsiveness to the public, and enhance healthcare delivery,' CGC said in a press release. To ensure checks and balances, the internal audit office of PhilHealth was also ordered to report to the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors and shall administratively report to the President and Chief Executive Officer (PCEO) of the corporation. The Benefit Payment Appeals Office (BPAO) will be established to handle appeals related to benefit claims payments. It aims to improve the handling of appeal cases and incentivize healthcare. In a separate statement, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said the agency has been working with the GCG on the restructuring of PhilHealth. 'The Department of Health (DOH) has been working with the Governance Commission for GOCCs (GCG) to ensure that the organizational structure of PhilHealth is suitable for the implementation of Universal Health Care,' Herbosa said. —LDF, GMA Integrated News 'PhilHealth staff and especially the public have been waiting for this reorg for a long time. The DOH and the entire Board of Directors have paid close attention to every detail,' he added. Last year, the GCG approved a partial restructuring of PhilHealth following its initial application in 2022. To aid in the evaluation process, GCG requested that PhilHealth provide additional documentary requirements and undergo consultation from May 2023 to January 2025. - Mariel Celine Serquiña ###
GMA Network
30-05-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
Pimentel questions schedule change in reading of impeachment raps vs. VP Sara
Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel said on Friday that he would ask Senate President Francis Escudero about his decision to move the presentation of articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte. 'We have to ask SP his thought processes and how come he is now changing his own 'impeachment calendar' issued months ago,' he said. The presentation of the articles of impeachment has been moved from June 2 to June 11. In a letter to Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, Escudero said the Senate and the House of Representatives needed to prioritize the passage of the items in the administration's legislative agenda before the 19th Congress adjourned sine die on June 14. Pimentel said that the legislative agenda of the Congress should give way to the impeachment proceedings. 'Meron kasi section or provision in our impeachment rules that gives the directive, that should there be both legislative and impeachment matters, the legislative agenda should give way to the impeachment proceedings,' he added. Escudero was referring to the meeting on Thursday of the Legislative-Executive Development Council (LEDAC), which resolved to pass measures listed in the legislative agenda within the 19th Congress. Among the priority measures are the Amendments to the Universal Health Care Act, Konektadong Pinoy Act, E-Governance Act, creation of the Virology Institute of the Philippines, Anti-POGO Act, among others. The Senate President also said there were over 200 presidential appointees whose appointments have to be reviewed and confirmed by the bicameral Commission on Appointments. Meanwhile, other Senators said the upper chamber must prioritize the approval of several priority measures. 'The passage of the priority bills should take precedence as asserted by Senate President Francis 'Chiz' Escudero as sine die adjournment marks the official end of our regular session,' said Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, noting that this was agreed upon during the LEDAC meeting. Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, meanwhile, noted that the Senate only has six session days, adding that committees will have to conduct bicameral and consultative meetings and even hearings to finalize the 12 priority measures. 'Having said that, I do agree to devote the next two weeks to finish the remaining bills and other legislative priorities before converting itself into an impeachment court,' he said. Meanwhile, Senator Imee Marcos, who is with Duterte in the Netherlands, also agreed that the Senate must focus its attention on the passage of the said measures. 'Dapat naman talaga unahin ang mga priority measures na ito dahil ito ang makakatulong sa bayan at hindi yung impeachment na pamumulitika lang,' she said. (These priority measures should really be prioritized because they will help the people and not impeachment, which is just politicking.) — BAP, GMA Integrated News
The Star
30-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Marcos admin wants seven bills enacted before new Congress starts
President Marcos address both chambers of Congress. Screenshot from RTVM/LIVE via PDI/ANN MANILA: The Marcos administration is pushing for the enactment of seven priority bills for the remaining six session days of the 19th Congress. At their meeting this week, the members of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council said the following bills are scheduled for deliberation in the Bicameral Conference Committee: Amendments to the Foreign Investors' Long-Term Lease Act; Rationalisation of the Mining Fiscal Regime; Amendments to the Universal Health Care Act; e-Government Act/ E-Governance Act; Konektadong Pinoy Act; Virology Institute of the Philippines; and Blue Economy Act. The Marcos administration remains 'hopeful that the remaining set of bills will be passed just in time before the end of the 19th Congress,' said Arsenio Balisacan. He is Secretary of the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev). So far, 32 out of the government's 64 common legislative agenda bills have been enacted into law. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
