TEN PERCENT CHARITY BEDS: AN ORDER LOST IN THE SHADOWS

TEN PERCENT CHARITY BEDS: AN ORDER LOST IN THE SHADOWS

We seem to have a curious habit in this country: we pass good rules… and then forget to implement them. Or maybe we implement them quietly, half-heartedly, or in obscure corners. Either way, the public hardly hears anything about it.

Take for instance Department of Health (DOH) Administrative Order No. 2007-0041. This order—signed way back in 2007 by then Health Secretary Francisco Duque III—requires all private hospitals to allocate 10% of their beds for charity patients. It’s a beautiful concept, especially when we talk about universal healthcare. But 17 years later, where are we with it?

Seriously, does anyone even know it still exists?

It makes me wonder: why issue an administrative order if we’re not going to follow through? Maybe we are implementing it—somewhere, somehow—but there’s no monitoring. Or maybe there is monitoring, but no reporting. Or maybe there are reports—but they’re sitting in dusty folders on forgotten desks. Whatever the case, the public doesn’t know, and that’s the real problem.

Because when the people don’t know, they can’t claim what’s due them.

Let’s ask the obvious: are private hospitals complying with this 10% charity bed rule? Is anyone keeping track? Is the DOH checking hospital records and publishing results? Are compliant hospitals being recognized or rewarded?

I’m not accusing anyone of neglect here—but there’s certainly a vacuum of information. And when there’s no transparency, suspicion isn’t far behind. Could the DOH be remiss in its duties? Or—giving them the benefit of the doubt—perhaps this task hasn’t even been part of Secretary Ted Herbosa’s KPIs. He was, after all, retained by the President. So maybe it’s time to clarify: Whose job is it to ensure this gets done?

To be fair, orders can be overlooked simply because no one is assigned to push them. But this one matters. Think about it: if indigent patients could access 10% of beds in private hospitals—for free—it would be a huge boost on top of their PhilHealth coverage and PCSO assistance.

How many lives could be saved? How much suffering could be reduced?

The potential is massive. But for all its promise, this order is invisible. Ask the average citizen—and even many doctors—and they’ve never heard of it. Hospitals barely advertise it. Patients certainly don’t demand it. And worst of all, no one’s talking about it.

So, allow me to raise a few questions—simple ones that deserve clear answers:

1.   Is this order being enforced? Are there statistics showing how many hospitals are complying?

2.   Are there incentives for compliance? Tax breaks? Recognition? Anything to encourage participation?

3.   Are there penalties for ignoring it? Or is this just one of those rules that’s more of a “suggestion” than a requirement?

4.   Who’s responsible for monitoring it? The DOH? LGUs? PhilHealth? Someone needs to own this.

5.   Can we name at least five hospitals that fully comply? I’d love to celebrate them in this column.

6.   Why isn’t this being publicized? Why not run an awareness campaign to inform indigent patients?

I truly believe this policy—if actively enforced—could be a game changer for the healthcare system. And it doesn’t even require new laws or major budgets. The policy is already there. What’s missing is intensity and focus. Or to borrow the President’s recent phrasing, we need to implement this order “fiercely and intensely.”

I hope President Marcos Jr. and Secretary Herbosa revisit this administrative order. It aligns perfectly with the President’s goals for better public health access, and with Secretary Herbosa’s vision for reforming the system. All it takes is political will—and perhaps, better coordination with PhilHealth and the PCSO, whose assistance programs often get overwhelmed.

Let’s not allow this law to fade into irrelevance. Let’s dust it off, shine a light on it, and get it working for the people it was meant to help.

In fact, if the government needs help publicizing it, I’d be more than willing to support it using online platforms, databases, or even social media outreach. Just say the word.

Because in a country where healthcare is still a privilege for many, even just ten percent can mean the world.

Ramon Ike V. Seneres, www.facebook.com/ike.seneres
iseneres@yahoo.com, 09088877282, senseneres.blogspot.com

07-28-2025

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