The Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) program, which covers the hospital costs of eligible beneficiaries, has been given a P51-billion budget this year. The DOH had sought a hike in the MAIFIP outlay to carry out the zero-balance billing policy in hospitals under local governments. Critics also expressed concern that the assistance makes financially challenged patients overly dependent on politicians who issue guarantee letters. “We only issue guarantee letters to private hospitals with which the DOH has a memorandum of agreement. Other than that, we do not use guarantee letters,” he added.

Source: Philippine Star January 07, 2026 16:39 UTC