The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is urging private hospital entrepreneurs and administrators to raise fresh funds for expansion from the capital market as a way to support the government’s push to provide more quality and accessible healthcare to Filipinos.

The Commission recently brought together entrepreneurs and professionals in the medical field in a conference titled, “SEC HOPES: Streamlining Capital Market Access for the Philippine Healthcare Industry,” to raise awareness of the SEC’s Securing and Expanding Capital for Hospital Entrepreneurs (SEC HOPES) program.

Issued through SEC Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 11, series of 2017, SEC HOPES provides hospitals easy access to the capital market by streamlining the registration process for the securities they plan to offer to fund the construction of healthcare facilities.

Under the policy, the SEC shortened the review period for the registration of securities by hospitals to 28 days, from the standard 45 days, through a simplified registration statement (SRS).

“The financing needs of the healthcare sector continue to grow, whether in expanding capacity, upgrading facilities, adopting new technologies, or improving service delivery,” SEC Chairperson Francis Lim said.

He noted that, “While the public sector continues to lead major investments in infrastructure and service delivery, the private sector plays an equally important role—especially in areas of healthcare where there is a strong business case for expansion.

“Public and private investments must complement each other to ensure that Filipinos across the country gain access to safe, modern, and adequate health facilities.”

As of December 2025, the Commission has registered 18 private hospitals under SEC HOPES, with total registered shares of ₱19.95 billion and a total issue value of ₱17.05 billion.

With hospitals gaining better access to capital, the SEC looks to address the acute shortage of hospitals in the country.

Currently, the hospital bed-to-population ratio stands at 0.5 beds per 1,000 population, which should be raised to 2.7 beds per 1,000 population to meet the country’s rising healthcare demands, according to the Department of Health’s (DOH) Philippine Health Facility Development Plan (PHFDP) 2020-2040.

“This is precisely why capital markets must remain open and accessible to all sectors and industries—including healthcare. By providing hospitals with the ability to raise funds efficiently and transparently, we empower them to modernize facilities, scale operations, and bring quality care closer to communities that need it most,” Lim said.