BAGUIO CITY (PIA) – The Department of Health continues to assist underserved patients in the Cordillera region through the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) program.
Christine Dirige, MAIFIP program coordinator, said the health department released a total of P520.4 million worth of medical and financial assistance for over a hundred thousand patients who underwent treatment or were admitted in government hospitals in 2023.
The province of Benguet received the highest allotment with P248 million, followed by Kalinga with P119 million; Ifugao, P56.5 million; Mountain Province, P29.2 million; Apayao, P29 million; Baguio City, P24.6 million, and Abra with P14 million.
For the year 2024, the DOH has already released a total of P146.8 million under the MAIFIP program in the Cordillera region.
Dirige explained that the program was developed in 2014 to lessen out-of-pocket expenses incurred by indigent patients.
The MAIFIP covers drugs and medicines; laboratory, imaging, radiological, and other diagnostic procedures including assessment/reader’s fees; blood and other related blood screening/products; clinically indicated medical-surgical cases, obstetrics-gynecological cases considered as high-risk, dental cases requiring implants, medical devices and supplies, and other relevant procedure; prescribed post-hospitalization, rehabilitation services, aftercare program, appropriate mental and psychosocial support, and hospital bills. It also covers professional fees, provided that the expenses for the professional fees do not exceed 50 percent of the approved amount of medical assistance.
“At first, the program focus was only on indigent and poor patients confined in government hospitals. Later, it was expanded to include financially- incapacitated patients to reach more beneficiaries, and in order to achieve Universal Health Care by complementing the National Health Insurance Program,” Dirige said.
Financially- incapacitated patients are those who have a source of income, but due to long confinement in healthcare facility, their medical bills have piled up to the point they could no longer pay anymore. These patients can avail of medical assistance based on their needs, upon the recommendation of the hospital’s social worker.
To avail under the program, patients or their authorized representatives need to submit documents to the medical social service, or the designated officer of the healthcare facility.
Documentary requirements to be presented by the patients include original copy of assessment of the hospital social welfare officer, or the municipal social welfare officer for local government unit-managed hospitals; original copy of hospital bill, medical certificate and/or medical abstract or certificate of confinement.
Dirige shared that primary health care facilities and clinical laboratories, both public and private, will soon be included in the scope of the MAIFIP program.
DOH Regional Director Amelita Pangilinan clarified that hospitals, and primary health care facilities must be licensed in order to participate in the MAIFIP program. (MAWC/PIA-CAR)
