The Health Alliance for Democracy (HEAD) has condemned Congress’ allocation of ₱51.1 billion to the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) program in the proposed 2026 national budget, branding it as “medical pork barrel.”
HEAD argued that MAIFIP is a discretionary fund that places politicians, not patients, in control of life-saving healthcare.
“Congress chose pork over patients,” the group said, warning that the program does not guarantee access for the poorest and most vulnerable Filipinos.
Instead, it perpetuates a patronage system where medical aid is dispensed at lawmakers’ discretion and used as political favor, leaving patients “begging for treatment that they are entitled to receive as a basic human right.”
The group stressed that MAIFIP fails to ensure Zero Balance Billing in government hospitals, forcing indigent patients to seek care in private facilities and shoulder out-of-pocket expenses.
HEAD urged Congress to scrap the program and redirect the ₱51.1 billion directly to public hospitals and health facilities, particularly for Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE), free medicines, medical supplies, diagnostic procedures, and equipment.
HEAD also warned that channeling MAIFIP funds to PhilHealth would endanger resources in the hands of what it described as a “corrupt and inefficient state-insurer.”
Instead, it called on government to strengthen the public health system by allocating at least 5% of GDP to health, in line with World Health Organization recommendations.
“Healthcare is a right, not a favor. Public funds must save lives. MAIFIP should not be used for political discretion,” HEAD emphasized. (RRN)
