Public health expert Dr. Tony Leachon urged the government on Saturday, December 6 to scrap the use of guarantee letters and shift to automatic PhilHealth payments, saying the current system forces patients to beg politicians for assistance.
Speaking on DZRH News program Special on Saturday, Leachon said patients are made to gather medical documents, line up in agencies or seek out public officials — a process he described as slow, undignified, and prone to abuse.
“Ang tingin ko dapat tanggalin na ang guarantee letter at diretso na sa PhilHealth, Kasi ang nangyari, ang pasyente kukuha pa ng medical abstract, kukuha ng papeles, tapos pupunta sa DOH o sa DSWD o sa pulitiko—magmamakaawa. Tapos ang tagal naman. Nasa abroad ‘yung public official, wala,” Leachon said.
The public health expert argued that hospitals should instead bill PhilHealth directly upon a patient’s discharge through a statement of account, similar to systems used in other countries.
“So ang maganda, meron kang SOA—Statement of Account—na-discharge ka, diretso ka na kaagad sa Finance Department o sa billing, bayaran na,” Leachon said
“Hindi natin maa-achieve ang Universal Health Care natin. At ang pagga-guarantee letter, ginagawa nating mahihirap at pulubi ang ating mga kababayan. Bigyan natin ng dignidad,” he stressed.
Leachon warned that reliance on guarantee letters creates a “mendicancy mentality” and deprives Filipinos of the health benefits that are rightfully theirs.
“Nagkakaroon tayo ng mendicancy mentality na lagi tayong pipila at aasa sa ating mga pulitiko. Hindi natin ginagawa na mamalimos ang ating mga kababayan sa benepisyo na talagang kanila. It’s a basic human right, it’s not even a privilege,” the public health expert said.
He added that the mechanism has also become a breeding ground for corruption, calling it a “new pork barrel” that undermines the goals of universal health care.
