President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. inspected Camiguin General Hospital on Monday to review the implementation of the government’s zero-balance billing policy and the delivery of medical services in the province.
Marcos visited the hospital’s emergency room and internal medicine ward and assessed how the facility provides free or subsidized care to eligible patients.
The inspection came as the administration expands zero-balance billing to more local hospitals in Sarangani, Laguna, Aklan, Bataan, Batangas and Quezon beginning this month.
From July 2025 to May 2026, the government spent ₱67 billion to cover the hospitalization costs of 2.76 million patients under the program.
The policy is part of a broader effort to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses and improve access to healthcare, particularly in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.
Marcos earlier directed the Department of Health, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, and the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. to develop a more integrated and efficient healthcare delivery system.
The government said 1.3 million patients also received assistance under the Medical Assistance to Indigents and Financially Incapacitated Patients Program from January to May this year.
Meanwhile, 26.10 million Filipinos have registered with 4,374 providers under the Yaman ng Kalusugan Program, or YAKAP.
The administration’s Bagong Urgent Care and Ambulatory Service centers have served 2.07 million patients from March 2024 to June 2026. Sixty-three centers are currently operating nationwide.
Camiguin General Hospital, located in Mambajao, is a Department of Health-administered Level 1 facility with 105 beds and 593 healthcare workers.
It provides inpatient and outpatient care, including general surgery, orthopedics, obstetrics and gynecology services.