PBBM’s b-day gift to Pinoys: P1.74B to finance UHC program
THE Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office will boost the Universal Health Care Program (UHCP) of the government with over P1.74 billion in financial support that will be turned over to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on his 65th birthday on September 13.
PCSO General Manager Mel Robles disclosed that he has already signed the check amounting to P1,741,645,797.23 that will paid out to the Bureau of Treasury.
“We hope to make President Marcos’s birthday celebration even more meaningful. Providing better, affordable and accessible health services to all Filipinos ranks high in the president’s platform of governance,” said Robles.
Robles explained that the P1.74 billion represents PCSO’s contribution to the UCHP that provides for the automatic inclusion of every Filipino into the National Health Insurance Program. The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth) is the implementor of the program.
The amount icomprises the sum of PCSO’s UCHP contribution in three years – from 2019 to 2021.
Under Republic Act 11223, otherwise known as the Universal Health Care Act, the PCSO will allocate 40 percent of its Charity Fund to help subsidize the health program.
Under Joint Circular No. 0001-2022 which provides the guidelines for the implementation of RA 11223, the fund releases of PCSO and the Philippine Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) will be used exclusively for benefits improvement under the NHIP.
Thus, not a single centavo of the PCSO contribution will be used by Philhealth for administrative expenditures.
In his first State of the Nation Address as chief executive, President Marcos vowed to strengthen the healthcare system capacity, and impose no more coronavirus lockdowns in the country.
“Beyond the pandemic’s issues, the need for a stronger health care system is self-evident. We must bring medical services to the people and not wait for them to come to our hospitals and healthcare centers,” he said in his speech last July 25.
Marcos said that one of the cornerstones of an efficient healthcare system was the provision of competent and efficient medical professionals.
“We will exert all efforts to improve the welfare of our doctors, nurses, and other medical frontliners,” he said. By ANCHIT MASANGCAY
