COA flags P3 billion left unspent

The Department of Health's controversial aid program faced multiple implementation issues in 2024, including low fund utilization partly due to delayed releases and unliquidated transfers, the Commission on Audit (COA) reported.

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Despite these problems, the bicameral conference committee approved a P51-billion budget for the program, up from the Senate's P29 billion, even as critics and civil society groups raised concerns over its pork-like nature, given its reliance on guarantee letters from politicians.

Some lawmakers have opposed the increase to the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients Program (MAIFIP), arguing it only fuels patronage politics instead of directly addressing Filipinos' immediate healthcare needs.

The MAIFIP Program provides financial assistance to Filipinos who cannot afford to pay their hospital bills, covering medicines, consultations, laboratory tests, select surgeries, treatments, and post-hospitalization care, including professional fees. It is designed to ease out-of-pocket expenses for both inpatient and outpatient services.

The program's allocation dropped to around P41.16 billion under the 2025 General Appropriations Act, down from P58.09 billion in 2024.