Experts: MAIFIP still prone to meddling by politicians

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March 14, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Despite the issuance of new guidelines for the Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients or MAIFIP program of the Department of Health, a network of health development experts said the DOH program remains prone to meddling by politicians.

The network, Universal Health Care (UHC) Collective, said DOH Administrative Order 2026-0031 did not explicitly ban political intervention.

“Interventions by both politicians and high-ranking officials can still occur as regional directors are still subject to legislative inquiry during the budget process,” said Dr. Juan Antonio Perez III of the UHC Collective.

He noted that “previous guidelines also never mentioned political interference, but it was allowed. This AO does not shield the regional directors from political interference.”

Under the new guidelines, the designated approving authority for MAIFIP funds is the center for health development director or a duly authorized representative, with a maximum approval limit of P1.5 million per transaction.

The cluster head of the Malasakit Program Office, which is responsible for the overall management and administration of MAIFIP, may approve up to P2 million per transaction.

For transactions exceeding P2 million, the DOH secretary or the designated chief of staff or head executive assistant may give approval.

Perez stressed that the “new” MAIFIP does not improve the chances of the poor to access health care.

“Surveys have shown that 20 to 30 percent of those needing health care stay at home and delay care,” Perez said.

Earlier, the DOH said the updated MAIFIP guidelines seek to enforce the ban on guarantee letters issued by elected public officials to cover patients’ hospital bills.