House approves bill establishing apex hospitals in all regions
A PROPOSED law that seeks to set up apex hospitals in the country’s 17 regions was approved on second reading in the House of Representatives Tuesday.
House Bill 10650 or the Apex Hospital Act, sponsored by DIWA Rep. Michael Edgar Y. Aglipay, aims to improve the health service delivery system by upgrading existing and building new apex hospitals.
An apex hospital, as defined by the Department of Health, is a government-run medical institution that offers specialized services and is contracted by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) as a stand-alone facility.
Under the bill, the Health department will identify regional hospitals that will be turned into apex hospitals based on the Philippine Health Facility Plan.
The department will also be tasked to submit yearly reports on the regional hospitals to Congress once the bill is signed into law. — Jaspearl Emerald G. Tan
