MANILA, Philippines — The government is considering the expanded use of digital platforms to speed up the delivery of health services to Filipino families in need of assistance, 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.
The MAIFIP is 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.
