Doc Willie Ong Questions PhilHealth’s Unused Reserve Funds
DOC WILLIE ONG – The popular Filipino physician and health advocate, has questioned PhilHealth’s decision not to use its P500 billion reserve funds.
In a post shared on his Facebook, Dr. Ong expressed the frustrations of many Filipinos who feel that these funds should be used to provide better healthcare services, especially for those in need.
He pointed out that many Filipinos struggle to afford essential treatments such as chemotherapy for cancer, heart procedures like angioplasty and bypass surgeries, and advanced diagnostic tests like CT scans, MRIs, and PET scans.
Dr. Ong urged PhilHealth to expand its coverage and prioritize helping its members instead of accumulating more reserves.
The Filipino doctor emphasized that PhilHealth’s primary goal should not be to save money or build up funds but to serve its members by providing financial aid for their medical needs.
“Ang GOAL DAPAT ng Philhealth ay MAGBIGAY ng Pera sa members at mahihirap. HINDI GOAL NG PHILHEALTH ang MAG-IPON ng PERA. Para purihin kayo na “Wow ang galing mag-ipon at mag-invest ng PhilHealth. What a healthy Government-Owned and controllled Corporation GOCC. Dami pera,” Ong said.
According to him, the mindset of focusing on savings conflicts with the mission of universal healthcare, which calls for utilizing resources to benefit the public.
Doc Willie argued that the reserve funds should only be enough to cover a two-year buffer, approximately P150 billion, rather than the current P500 billion. He expressed frustration that millions of lives have been lost because of this conservative approach, which prioritizes savings over healthcare services.
He encouraged PhilHealth leaders to reflect on their priorities and take bold steps to address the urgent healthcare needs of Filipinos. Dr. Ong urged everyone to pray and consider how they could contribute to resolving this issue, emphasizing the importance of using these funds to save lives.
In an earlier post, PhilHealth on anniversary celebration budget: “this amount reduced already… 48 million pesos”
“SA TOTOO LANG, milyong buhay na ang nawala dahil sa IPON NG IPON mentality ng reserve funds. SINO mananagot sa buhay na namatay?
Sana maintindihan ito ng lahat,” he added.
The social media users expressed their reactions to the post:
