PhilHealth’s transfer bid to OP for ‘more efficient’ healthcare management —Herbosa

The proposed transfer of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to the Office of the President would pave the way for a more efficient management of healthcare agenda in the country, Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said Monday.

“It’s a management thing if you want to make something more efficient. If we’re trying to think about this, I think the President wants to have better and more efficient health care financing kasi gusto niyang tutukan [because he wants to focus on it]. If you put in the [Office of the] President, mas madaling matutukan [it’s easier to be focused on],” Herbosa said at a press conference.

The newly appointed DOH chief also explained that the executive branch is free to realign the management of any agency to where it sees fitting. However, he said it is the legislative branch that has to deal with the amendments on PhilHealth’s mandate, if needed. 

He also said that there were several other agencies, like the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), whose management were also transferred to another agency “to be more efficient.”

PhilHealth is a government corporation currently attached to the DOH for policy coordination and guidance.

It was on May 16 when former DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire announced that PhilHealth suggested transferring its administrative supervision from the DOH to the Office of the President.

By the end of May, DOH said the legal opinion of the Department of Justice, Office of the Solicitor General, Office of the Government Corporate Counsel, and the Governance Commission for GOCCs is being sought by the technical working group (TWG) tasked to evaluate the proposal.

This TWG is composed of officials from both the DOH and PhilHealth.—LDF, GMA Integrated News