New DOH chief Mercado expected to speed up UHC rollout

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – The appointment of Dr. Edwin Mercado as the new health secretary is expected to boost the implementation of Universal Health Care (UHC) and address leadership issues that have recently hounded the Department of Health (DOH).

Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero said Mercado’s appointment would provide “much-needed clarity and stability” to the agency.

“We welcome the new appointment and we wish the newly appointed Health Secretary, Dr. Edwin Mercado, all the best as he takes on his new role as the administration’s chief implementer of its health programs,” Escudero said in a statement.

READ: Avail of universal health care, public urged

Earlier, Escudero asked Malacañang to intervene to ensure the continuity and implementation of the national government’s UHC program.

In his podcast, “Chiz Wiz! Usapang May Laman,” aired over the weekend, Escudero appealed to the Marcos administration to address leadership concerns at the DOH involving Mercado’s immediate predecessor, Jose Pujalte Jr.

He said unresolved issues within the agency could hinder the rollout of UHC and weaken preventive healthcare programs nationwide.

Institutional familiarity

With Mercado at the helm of the DOH, Escudero expressed confidence that the agency can now refocus on strengthening the implementation of UHC, particularly by expanding PhilHealth coverage and improving access to healthcare services in both public and private facilities.

He said Mercado, a US-trained orthopedic surgeon with 35 years of experience in hospital management who has served as PhilHealth president and CEO since February last year, is expected to bring institutional familiarity that could help stabilize ongoing reforms.

Leadership transition

Meanwhile, Escudero also welcomed the appointment of Dr. Beverly Lorraine Ho as the new president and CEO of PhilHealth, saying it is expected to complement the leadership transition at the DOH.

Before joining PhilHealth, Ho served as chief health officer of Ayala Healthcare Holdings Inc. She also previously held the position of undersecretary at the DOH and served as the department’s deputy spokesperson during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Ang pagtalaga kay Dr. Ho sa PhilHealth ay nagbibigay ng karagdagang lakas sa ating UHC reforms. May sapat siyang karanasan sa public health at pamamahala upang maipagpatuloy ang mga repormang kailangan ng sistema,” Escudero said.

(The appointment of Dr, Ho in Philhealth gives more strength to the UHC reforms. She has enough experience in public health and management so that the needed reforms in the system would be continued.)

“Hindi kulang ang pondo ng PhilHealth. May sapat na pondo … Sistema lang talaga dapat ang ayusin para mas mapalawak ang coverage.”

(Philhealth does not lack funds. There are enough funds…The system really is the one that needed to be fixed so that the coverage would be widened.)

Stable leadership

PhilHealth currently covers more than 108 million Filipinos, consisting of around 70 million registered members and over 38 million dependents.

In his weekend podcast, Escudero said PhilHealth’s wide membership base underscored the need for stable leadership at the DOH to “address gaps in preventive care, emergency response in remote areas, and uneven implementation at the local government level.”

Escudero added that PhilHealth’s financial position remained stable, noting that the agency had sufficient funds to support expanded benefit coverage.

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