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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Marcos names orthopedic surgeon Edwin Mercado as new PhilHealth chief

Marcos names orthopedic surgeon Edwin Mercado as new PhilHealth chief

Published Feb 4, 2025 02:56 am

President Marcos has appointed United States-trained orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Edwin Mercado, as the new president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).

Mercado took his oath of office before Marcos at the Malacañan Palace on Tuesday, Feb. 4.

He replaced Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. in the government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) that provides health insurance to all Filipinos under the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP).

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Dr. Edwin Mercado takes oath of office before President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. as the new PhilHealth president. (Photo courtesy of PCO)

The new PhilHealth chief has under his belt 35 years of experience in hospital management.

Mercado has been the vice chairman of the Mercado General Hospital/Qualimed Health Network since March 2021.

Under his leadership, Mercado General Hospital Inc. (MGHI) has expanded into a national chain of healthcare facilities that includes four general hospitals, six multi-specialty clinics, two surgery centers, 150 primary care corporate clinics, a college for paramedical professionals, and a physician practice group of 400 doctors.

A Doctor of Medicine graduate of the University of the Philippines in 1987, Mercado completed his Master of Medical Sciences in Global Health Delivery from Harvard Medical School in 2023. He also has an Executive Master's in Healthcare Administration from the University of North Carolina in the US.

He also did advocacy work with the Zuellig Family Foundation and several Department of Health (DOH) Centers for Health Development, providing technical assistance to Provincial Health Boards on operationalizing their Healthcare Provider Network (HCPN).

Mercado is also a faculty lecturer at the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health (ASMPH) on Global Supply Chain, Research Methods, and Implementation Science and a guest lecturer at the University of the Philippines College of Public Health on Medical Processes and Programs.

Mercado is a fellow under Dr. Chunling Lu, the program director in Global Health Economics and Social Change, Division of Global Health Equity, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Department of Social Medicine and Global Health, Harvard Medical School, since July 2023. He is studying the cost of per-member payment for global coverage of in-patient services.

According to Malacañang, he is involved in an ongoing study on using Artificial Intelligence (AI) as an assistive tool for community health workers to deliver primary care.

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