Pam orders uninterrupted emergency care services

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu Provincial Government has ordered all 16 provincial and district hospitals to provide uninterrupted emergency healthcare services and round-the-clock PhilHealth processing to eliminate treatment delays and ensure patients receive immediate care regardless of their financial capacity.

Governor Pamela S. Baricuatro signed Executive Order No. 42, Series of 2026, directing all hospitals owned and operated by the Province of Cebu to provide emergency medical attention without delay while ensuring faster access to PhilHealth verification and related services at any time of the day.

The order covers all 16 province-run facilities, consisting of two Level 2 hospitals, four Level 1 hospitals, and 10 infirmaries, including all medical, nursing, ancillary, and administrative personnel assigned to these facilities.

The executive order cited Republic Act No. 11223, or the Universal Health Care Act, as one of its legal bases, emphasizing the government's commitment to ensuring equitable access to quality and affordable healthcare services.

In issuing the order, the governor acknowledged that patients often require PhilHealth verification and processing during nights, weekends, and holidays, and that delays caused by the absence of authorized personnel undermine the objectives of the Universal Health Care Law.

"It is the policy of the Provincial Government of Cebu to protect poor and indigent patients from financial catastrophe, encourage positive health-seeking behavior, and facilitate early diagnosis and treatment of health conditions among the public served by all its hospitals."

The order likewise emphasized that protecting poor and indigent patients from financial hardship, encouraging timely health-seeking behavior, and facilitating early diagnosis and treatment remain key policy priorities of the Provincial Government.

Under Section 3 of the order, all emergency and serious cases must be attended to promptly and professionally using all available healthcare services within provincial hospitals, including medical, surgical, obstetric, and diagnostic services.

The order further provides that no emergency patient shall be unjustly deprived of available government health services or referred to private health facilities in a manner that would result in out-of-pocket expenses, in accordance with PhilHealth's No Balance Billing policy.

It also reiterated the prohibition against requiring deposits before treatment, directing hospitals to prioritize patient care before any billing or collection process.

"Patients shall first be stabilized and treated; billing and collection, where applicable under Section 8, shall proceed only after the appropriate medical service has been rendered," a portion of the executive order reads.

The executive order also mandates that all patients with active PhilHealth membership and coverage be treated under the No Balance Billing policy, with no excess hospital charges to be collected from them, subject to applicable PhilHealth issuances.

"Each covered hospital shall ensure round-the-clock (24/7) availability of personnel tasked with accessing, verifying, and processing PhilHealth (PHIC) records, membership status, and coverage, among others... to prevent delays in patient assessment, admission, and treatment during all shifts, including nights, weekends, and holidays," the EO stated.

To ensure compliance, each chief of hospital has been directed to establish shifting or on-call schedules, including designated backup personnel, and submit these schedules to the Provincial Health Office for monitoring.

The order also requires hospitals to assist poor and indigent patients without active PhilHealth membership by referring them to medical social workers for available financial assistance programs while helping them complete the requirements for PhilHealth registration.

According to the executive order, expanding PhilHealth membership among indigent patients is intended not only to strengthen patients' financial protection but also to improve hospitals' capacity to secure PhilHealth reimbursements.

The order further prohibits hospital personnel from directing patients to purchase medicines, medical supplies, diagnostic services, or other healthcare needs from outside establishments when these are readily available within the hospital without valid justification.

To enforce the policy, chiefs of hospital have been tasked to oversee implementation, report violations to the Provincial Health Office and the Office of the Governor, and ensure compliance with the mandatory 24/7 PhilHealth staffing requirement.

"Any hospital personnel found violating the provisions of this Order, including failure to maintain the required 24/7 PHIC-related staffing, shall be subject to appropriate administrative and legal sanctions under existing civil service rules and applicable laws," the EO further reads.

The executive order also establishes a grievance mechanism allowing patients, their relatives, and members of the public to file complaints through forms available in every provincial hospital and at the Provincial Health Office.

Complaints will be reviewed by the chief of hospital and, when warranted, elevated to the Office of the Governor as the basis for possible administrative sanctions. The order took effect immediately upon its issuance on July 23, 2026. — (FREEMAN)