Some hospitals hesitating to accept guarantee letters: group

MANILA — The Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc. (PHAPI) said Monday some of its members were hesitating to honor guarantee letters for indigent patients due to delays in payment.

Guarantee letters are issued by governors, senators, congressmen and other government officials to help patients pay for their hospital bills through funding from the Department of Health, in lieu of submitting promissory notes, PHAPI president Dr. Jose Rene De Grano noted.

But he said that in Calabarzon alone, some hospitals have yet to receive “more than P400 million” in payment for guarantee letters under the Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) program. 

“Meron naman daw pong pondo, yung pagri-release lang ang bumabagal,” he told DZMM.

“Nakausap ko na si [Health] Secretary [Ted] Herbosa on that and sabi niya titingnan niya kung anong nagiging problema… Sinabi niya na minsan, talagang because of bureaucracy, medyo bumabagal yung processes ng pag-aayos n’yan, dahil sa dami na rin po ng pumapasok na GLs,” he added.

De Grano said the payment delay has affected the operating expenses of some hospitals.

“‘Pag hindi sila agad nabayaran, halimbawa milyon po yung pagkakautang, siyempre pambayad po yun sa suweldo ng ating mga empleyado et cetera,” he said.

“Kaya yung iba, medyo nag-aatubiling tumanggap nang tumanggap [ng mga guarantee letter],” he said.

He said hospitals are required to notify the health department before they could suspend the acceptance of guarantee letters.

“Palagay ko po merong iba, hindi ko na lang papangalanan, na talagang halos inii-stop na nila o sinu-suspend muna nila temporarily kasi sobra na sa tingin nila, masyado nang malaki ang exposure nila at wala pa silang natatanggap na payment, parang inislo-slow down po nila ang pagtanggap [ng GLs],” he said.

He urged patients with guarantee letters: “Kausapin po nila ang ospital, sasabihin naman sa kanila kung okay pa ang pagtanggap. Kung hindi po, kumuha sila ng ibang ospital.”

Meanwhile, DOH spokesperson Albert Domingo said they were getting details from regional offices on hospitals’ supposed receivables and the payment bottlenecks. 

But he added: "To begin with, dapat wala nang guarantee letter."

"Kasi remember, to begin with, itong mga pondong ito ay nasa DOH…. Dapat pina-process na lang ‘yan ng medical social worker at binabayaran," Domingo said in a separate DZMM interview. 

"Yung guarantee letter…hirap din kami, dahil depende ‘yan kung ano bang nakasulat sa guarantee letter. Kasi kahit sino pwedeng mag-issue ng guarantee letter. E ang established na process, ang alam namin na nakalagay sa batas, MAIFP is a DOH budget at dapat sa DOH nanggagaling ang polisiya," he added.

He urged indigent patients to go public hospitals instead of private facilities. 

"Kasi doon po walang guarantee-guarantee letter. Diretso ho kayong maseserbisyuhan, sagot po namin kayo," Domingo said.