MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Monday assured the public that the Department of Health (DOH) has sufficient funds to pay private hospitals for services rendered to indigent patients, amid reports that some health facilities have stopped accepting government-issued guarantee letters.

In a Palace press briefing, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Press Officer Claire Castro clarified that the issue primarily stems from incomplete documentation submitted by hospitals, particularly in Batangas, where 39 hospitals have yet to provide the required paperwork to facilitate reimbursement.

“Hindi naman po nagkakaproblema ang gobyerno patungkol po sa pagbabayad ng mga bills po ng ating mga kababayan na covered po ng guarantee letters,” Castro said.

“Kumpletuhin lang po iyong inyong mga dokumento dahil po ang DOH ang sinasabi sa atin ay may sapat na pondo,” she added.

Under the Universal Health Care Act, and as stipulated in a memorandum of agreement between the DOH and private hospitals, medical facilities are required to allocate 10 percent of their authorized bed capacity for indigent patients.

Castro also reminded the public that PhilHealth covers the full hospital bill for financially incapacitated patients and that DOH-run hospitals continue to accept indigent patients even without guarantee letters from government officials.