DOH wants to exclude traffic violators from ‘zero balance’ billing policy
To help reduce road accidents, the Department of Health (DOH) is considering excluding motorists who figure in accidents while violating traffic rules from the coverage of the government’s “zero balance billing” policy.
During a press conference on road safety organized by the United Nations on Thursday, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa noted that in 2023, more than 13,000 Filipinos died due to road crashes, with an average of 35 lives taken every day.
“You drink, then you drive—you end up in the emergency department, you end up with my trauma team … if you are lucky. The problem is that 13,000 [Filipinos] a year are not lucky. They end up dying,” Herbosa said.
“If we don’t act, we will end up with a population that is either dying on the road or permanently disabled,” he added. “So today, I am announcing that if you are admitted because you are not wearing a helmet, seatbelt or were drinking [alcohol], you are now disqualified from the zero balance billing.”
Still under study
But in its social media posts, the DOH clarified that it is still studying the proposal.
“The secretary of health spoke of a new policy meant to reduce road crashes. It is now being reviewed as to the details of implementation,” DOH spokesperson Albert Domingo also told the Inquirer in a Viber message.
Under the zero balance billing policy, the government will shoulder the expenses of patients admitted to basic/ward accommodations in DOH hospitals.
Herbosa, however, stressed that drivers or motorists who cause accidents by disobeying traffic rules should be held accountable, saying the zero balance billing should apply only to patients who have not violated any laws.
According to him, the DOH remains “resolute in our goal of reducing road traffic deaths and serious injuries by 50 percent in 2028.”
“As a trauma surgeon and emergency physician, I have dedicated significant time and effort to research and policy development, focusing on trauma scoring systems, epidemiology of road crash injuries and impact of alcohol intoxication on road fatalities,” Herbosa said.
“These studies have reinforced an undeniable truth that road crashes are preventable,” he added.
Based on the Online National Electronic Injury Surveillance System data of the DOH, a total of 5,083 road traffic injuries were recorded in July this year. More than 66 percent or 3,382 were motorcycle riders, 38 of whom died.
Of these riders, 94 percent or 3,197 did not wear helmets while 205 were under the influence of alcohol while driving, the DOH said.
