PGH gets P1.855 billion additional funds for medical services, zero-balance billing
MANILA, Philippines —The Department of Budget Management (DBM) announced on Wednesday, August 19 that it released P1.885 additional budget for the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) to help patients with their hospital expenses.
About P800 million of this additional funding was allocated to Zero Balance Billing under the Universal Health Care Fund, while the remaining P1.040 billion is for supporting medical services in PGH.
“Kapag may nagkakasakit sa pamilya, ang unang dapat isipin ay pagpapagaling, hindi kung saan kukuha ng pambayad sa ospital. That is why we are putting P800 million behind Zero Balance Billing at PGH,” acting DBM Secretary Kim Robert De Leon said in a statement.
(When there is one sick in the family, the first concern must be recovery, not about where to get money to pay the hospital. That is why we are putting P800 million behind Zero Balance Billing at PGH.)
Apart from the additional budget for medical services and zero-balance billing, the PGH will also receive P15 million to ensure access to treatments for Dystonia-Parkinsonism or Lubag Syndrome.
The Lubag Syndrome, which has no cure and can only be temporarily treated, is a rare inherited brain disease characterized by involuntary and painful muscle cramps, shaking tremors, stiff limbs and a shuffling walk that can make walking, speaking and swallowing difficult.
The disease typically affects adult men with family roots in Panay Island.
De Leon said the release of the additional budget aligned with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to prioritize health care despite limited fiscal or financial resources.
In the P7.2 trillion national budget proposed for 2027, about P353.8 billion will be allocated to the health sector.
However, the PGH, which is under the University of the Philippines system, is facing a P805-million budget cut in 2027 as the university’s approved budget was reduced by P3 billion, from P29.5 billion in 2026 to only P26.5 billion by next year.
- Latest
- Trending