The Senate has approved the proposed 2026 budget of the Department of Health (DOH), adopting key amendments endorsed by Senator Pia Cayetano in her capacity as sponsor and Senior Vice Chair of the Finance Committee. The Senator stressed that these adjustments are intended to further strengthen the health system, improve access for indigent patients, and ensure that critical programs receive the targeted support they need.
Under these amendments, additional funding will reinforce and expand the Zero-Balance Billing Program in DOH and regional hospitals, including a pilot rollout in selected local government hospitals as determined by the department. The budget also provides for the direct allocation of medical assistance funds to major government specialty hospitals such as the Philippine Heart Center, National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Lung Center of the Philippines, and Philippine Children’s Medical Center. Further support was granted to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine and the Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health, ensuring that essential institutions remain equipped to deliver life-saving care to Filipino families.


