THE Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) together with the Department of Health (DOH), Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) recently signed a joint administrative order which aims to establish Malasakit Centers in public hospitals in order to streamline public access to various medical assistance funds of the government. The ceremonial signing was held at the Malasakit Center of Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center (JRRMMC) in Manila.

The joint Order also aims to define the various roles of the different government agencies in augmenting the financing provision of the No Balance Billing (NBB) Policy for Case Rates and Z Benefits of PhilHealth and to outline a streamlined process of accessing their respective funds by PhilHealth members and their dependents, especially those from the marginalized sector.

Based on existing guidelines, all indigent patients in non-private or service settings in all PhilHealth-accredited government health care providers are entitled to the NBB. All other medical expenses not covered by PhilHealth shall be augmented and sourced from PCSO and DOH through the Medical Assistance to Indigent Patients Program (MAIP). However, all non-medical expenses such as transportation, meals and accommodation shall be covered by DSWD.