TRUE to serving the people in need of medical treatment, a private hospital in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon offers “no balance billing” for Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) members in the province coveted two distinguished awards during the recognition of PhilHealth Heroes and Best Practices in the region Wednesday.
Dr. Mike Po, the director and owner of Malaybalay Polymedic General Hospital (MPGH) who received the Health Warrior and Best Practice awards, said the thrust of MPGH is providing services than raking in profits.
“After 30 years of serving the poor in our hospital, finally, this is the first time that we received recognition,” Po said.
MPGH started with only 10 beds in 1982.
In 2013 around 500 to 700 underprivileged patients per month would go to their hospital to seek for medical treatment.
He said patients with appendicitis cases and birthing mothers who are PhilHealth members don’t pay a single centavo to MPGH.
“As long as they are PhilHealth members they don’t have to pay anything,” Po said.
The hospital implemented the ‘no balance billing’ which is rare to private hospitals.
“Usahay mo-ginansya, usahay pud dili (Sometimes there is gain, sometimes none),” Po said, referring to the MPGH’s revenues.
With regard to doctors’ pay, he shared the doctors are aware of their oath of serving the people before they became one.
He emphasized that patients in ward rooms should be served well.
“There are patients in our hospital that are not PhilHealth members, so the income we get from them will help us cater the underprivileged patients,” Po said.
The hospital even admits patients who live outside Malaybalay City.
Criteria
Based on a document given by PhilHealth-Northern Mindanao (PhilHealth-10) to this paper, it states that Health Warrior Award is given to people whose “endeavors are aimed at improving the quality of human condition in the society.”
Po said the hospital provided healthcare to communities—affordable healthcare even to the poor population.
As to the Best Practice Award, Po said the equipment in their hospital is complete—it has a CT scan, MRI Scan, X-Ray Machine, among others.
During the recognition, the Best Practice Award was also granted to Baroy Rural Health Unit, Tudela Rural Health Unit, Initao Rural Health Unit, Barangay North Poblacion Lying-in Clinic and Sultan Naga Dimaporo Provincial Hospital.
P3.5B for hospitalization
Ian Alfredo Magno, regional membership and marketing head of PhilHealth-10, said the office paid P3.5 billion for hospitalization and outpatient benefits for their members in Northern Mindanao.
He disclosed that PhilHealth has 4.2 million members of the 4.3 million people in the region.
“Our office delivered a membership accomplishment of 97 percent, a feat which we maintained since 2003 until present,” Magno said.