Contrary to the free hospitalization claims of the government, it is not at all free in public hospitals. While every Filipino is covered with the Universal Health Care Act, a landmark piece of legislation made into law two years ago now, the Act comes short of providing total health care services, let alone excellent and quality medical care.
Patients confined to public hospitals get free room or bed accommodations, free meals, free diagnostics, consultation, laboratory services, and medical care as articulated clearly by the law. However, the more intricate medical attention needed by the patient is not readily available. Often of the same old reasons –inadequate health facilities, medical supplies, medicines, and human talents. This is often the case in practically all government health facilities, including heavily funded general hospitals and medical centers.
Patients with medical cases requiring laboratory services are brazenly told, albeit routinely, to get all laboratory tests outside. Yes, regardless of patients’ social classification. If it were not enough, there are even cases where patients are told to buy medicines outside, or provide for their syringe. The lack of medical supplies is often a convenient excuse. Or that the budget for such-and-such medical requirements has already run out, or so they say.
This is appalling because the government, particularly the Office of the President, is proudly claiming “free hospitalization” for all Filipinos.
That public can avail of themselves free health care is yet far from accurate.
What could be a fairly correct assessment of the current health system in the country is this: While some of its services may have already improved here and there, the health care system in the Philippines remains yet significantly defective. In short, hospitalization in public hospitals is far from being free.