DBM turns over P27B to DOH aid program for patients
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released P27.41 billion for the continued implementation of the Department of Health’s (DOH) medical assistance program for the poor, with nearly 70 percent of the funds coursed through regional health offices.
In a statement on Friday, the DBM said funds for the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (Maifip) program will support the needs of Centers for Health Development (CHDs) or the DOH’s regional offices, DOH hospitals, government-owned and controlled specialty hospitals, the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), and drug abuse treatment and rehabilitation centers.
The amount will come from the DOH’s regular budget under the 2026 General Appropriations Act.
‘Real help’
Maifip caters to qualified patients who are unable to afford medical expenses due to financial constraints. It was formerly called the Medical Assistance to Indigent Patients, which was created in 2014 for indigents needing help outside the coverage of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth). It was renamed Maifip in 2016.
“The P27.4 billion we are releasing is meant to translate into real help at the hospital level—medicines that can be bought, procedures that can be performed, and medical bills that families do not have to shoulder on their own,” said Budget Secretary Kim Robert de Leon.
“This is a substantial investment, but its true value will be measured by the number of Filipinos it is able to help,” he added.
Of the total amount, the DBM said the largest share of P19.145 billion will go to CHDs in order to “support the delivery of medical assistance through partner local government hospitals, privately owned institutions, and other health facilities across the country.”
Another P4.353 billion will be allocated to DOH hospitals in Metro Manila and other regions, while P2.91 billion will be utilized by specialty hospitals, including the Lung Center of the Philippines, the National Kidney and Transplant Institute, the Philippine Children’s Medical Center and the Philippine Heart Center.
Criticism
The UP-PGH will receive P950 million while P52 million will go to government-run drug abuse treatment and rehabilitation centers.
Maifip was previously criticized by health and civil society groups, describing it as a form of patronage program because it relied on “guarantee letters” issued by politicians to have a portion of a patient’s hospital bills covered.
This prompted the DOH to release an updated implementing rules and regulations for Maifip in February this year. The updated guidelines were also in compliance with the “anti-epal” provision included in the 2026 General Approprialtions Act, which states that all cash assistance and other forms of financial aid shall be distributed exclusively by authorized government officers and personnel or accredited partners.
In 2024, the second full year of the Marcos administration, Maifip received P58 billion, while in 2025, the program received P41 billion. In 2026, Maifip received P51.6 billion.
In December 2025, the DOH proposed a special provision to Maifip that would allocate 80 percent of its budget to the zero balance billing policy implemented in local hospitals.
By January, the zero balance billing policy was being implemented in selected local government-owned hospitals after President Marcos announced that P1 billion of the agency’s budget would be used for the program.
The zero balance billing program, which was implemented starting May 18, 2025, was previously applicable only to patients in basic or ward accommodation at 87 DOH-operated hospitals. Under the policy, patients in DOH hospitals no longer have to pay for medical services, medicines, or the professional fees of doctors.
In September 2025, the DOH said that the government’s zero balance billing program for the poor had already benefited 298,221 patients. The DOH said this translated to P26.4 billion in combined billing for patients admitted for basic accommodation in DOH hospitals.
In January, then Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said that indigent patients would not need guarantee letters from congressmen, senators, and other officials to cover their expenses for health services under the DOH’s zero balance. —WITH A REPORT FROM INQUIRER RESEARCH
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