Senator Panfilo Lacson has filed a bill that aims to place the Department of Health’s (DOH) Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) Program under the framework of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act.

With this change, he said, the government “can effectively address the issue of payment delays for medical services rendered by DOH-licensed and/or accredited health facilities because of political interference.”

The lawmaker also bats to penalize political exploitation and manipulation of the program to address “the culture of mendicancy and political patronage.”

“A coherent and unified health system under Universal Healthcare must be established to effectively address the needs of indigent and marginalized families. Individuals, regardless of economic status, who suffer from catastrophic illnesses and similar medical conditions and its corresponding substantial financial burdens, should meaningfully benefit from the government’s comprehensive safety net and enjoy affordable and accessible health services – free from political interventions that shamelessly exploit government programs to curry public favor,” he said in a press release.

Lacson said the delivery of public services and medical program was put in a bad light due to recent news reports, with private hospitals declining to honor guarantee letters issued by politicians for fear of not being compensated as some of these officials lost in the latest polls. (PNA)