THE government is considering the expanded use of digital platforms to speed up the delivery of health services, Malacañang said Friday.
Executive Secretary Ralph Recto and Health Secretary Ted Herbosa led discussions on improving the implementation of the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients Program (Maifip) in Malacañang on Wednesday.
The meeting focused on measures to prevent long lines, repetitive requirements, and excessive paperwork in the processing of requests for medical assistance.
Recto said the Department of Health (DOH) should ensure that Maifip was not only for indigent patients but also middle-class families, so more Filipinos can feel the benefits of the taxes they contribute to the government.
"President Bongbong (Ferdinand Jr.) Marcos ordered that if the government has assistance, it should arrive quickly, properly, and without causing hardship to the people," Recto said in a statement.
"Access is the measure of true service. Because if the process itself becomes a barrier, even if there is funding, people will not feel it," he added.
Recto said the Marcos administration aims to use technology to make public service delivery faster, more transparent, and more humane.
The Maifip is a DOH initiative providing financial aid for medical expenses to eligible patients in the Philippines.
It covers hospitalization, medicines, diagnostics, and procedures at DOH, local government unit-operated medical facilities, and some private facilities, aiming to bridge gaps in the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. coverage.
New guidelines for 2026 aim to expand coverage to free-standing clinics and strengthen Zero-Balance Billing in public hospitals.
From P41 billion under the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA), the Maifip funding increased this year to P51.6 billion, which will serve as the basis for the new guidelines.
Malacañang had defended the hike in Maifip allocation under the 2026 GAA, saying the fund would go directly to local government units (LGUs) and hospitals, with the DOH as the lead implementor.
"There are hospitals that are not affiliated with DOH hospitals, and the aim is to further expand services to our people by also providing zero balance billing in LGU hospitals," Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in her previous briefing.
Castro also assured the public that the funds would not pass through politicians amid concerns raised by some groups and personalities that the program could undermine human dignity.
According to the DOH, there are more than 80 DOH-run hospitals, 550 local government hospitals, 511 private hospitals, and 20 treatment and rehabilitation centers nationwide where patients can avail of financial assistance under Maifip.
