CEBU City Mayor Nestor Archival has unveiled plans to implement a “zero billing” policy in city-run hospitals, a measure intended to ensure that the poorest residents receive medical care without paying out of pocket.
The initiative is patterned after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s flagship “Bayad na Bill Mo” (BBM) program, which guarantees that indigent patients in Department of Health (DOH) hospitals will leave the hospital without unpaid bills.
Archival said Cebu City’s version of the scheme would cover the city’s “poorest of the poor,” with PhilHealth taking care of the bulk of hospital expenses and the City Government absorbing the remaining balance.
Archival said the plan depends heavily on the completion and full operation of the city’s public hospitals.
At the center of this push are the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) and the Guba Community Hospital, both of which remain under development.
The City currently spends around P500 million annually for the Cebu City Hospitalization Assistance and Medicines Program (Champ), excluding hospital maintenance costs.
Archival believes once the city hospitals are fully operational and accredited by PhilHealth, Cebu City will have enough resources to make zero billing sustainable.
“If our hospitals are completed and the services are good, we won’t have a hard time because we have P500 million a year,” Archival said in Cebuano.
The Guba hospital, in particular, is being prepared to handle upland residents who have limited access to healthcare. Recent upgrades include the installation of a water system, the delivery of an X-ray machine, and the addition of 35 more hospital beds.
However, structural problems remain, such as a damaged roof that allows rainwater to seep into the facility.
Meanwhile, CCMC, touted as one of the City’s largest healthcare projects, remains unfinished. Only a portion of the hospital is currently operational, limiting its capacity to serve as the backbone of the City’s health program.
Archival has welcomed the Cebu City Council’s recent call for an independent audit of the CCMC project, particularly Phase 4, which was found to have no “as-built” plan.
The mayor had earlier suspended construction for the same reason, saying transparency and accountability must be prioritized to avoid further delays and ensure proper use of public funds.
Champ
Archival said the Champ program, which covers hospitalization and laboratory reimbursements for indigent patients, will complement the City’s zero-billing policy.
Under Champ, patients must submit a hospital bill signed by the billing clerk, a medical abstract certified by a licensed physician, and a certificate of indigency from their barangay.
Proof of Cebu City residency dating back to 2004 is also required. For minors, a birth certificate must be provided.
By combining PhilHealth accreditation, the Champ program, and the completion of the Guba hospital and CCMC, Archival said Cebu City could realistically adopt the zero-billing scheme without jeopardizing the City’s finances.
Archival’s move mirrors the Marcos administration’s BBM program, launched in May across 87 DOH-run hospitals.
The scheme covers ward admissions, professional fees, medicines, and medical procedures, with PhilHealth and DOH sharing the costs.
While the program has been praised for easing the financial burden on patients, it has also drawn criticism due to understaffing, long queues, and concerns over the sustainability of government resources.
Archival acknowledged that Cebu City still needs to finalize the qualifications and processes for its own zero-billing policy but underscored that the poorest residents will be prioritized.
“The ultimate goal is simple: that no Cebuano who is poor will ever have to worry about hospital bills again,” he said. / CAV