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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Marcos: Mercado very qualified to lead PhilHealth

Marcos: Mercado very qualified to lead PhilHealth

Published Feb 6, 2025 08:54 am

At A Glance

  • According to President Marcos, Mercado already has plans to improve PhilHealth's services.

President Marcos said that the new Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth) president and chief exective officer Dr. Edwin Mercado is qualified to lead the office and that he already has plans for the agency.

Mercado philhealth
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. and PhilHealth president and CEO Dr. Edwin Mercado (PCO)

Marcos said this after appointing Mercado this week to replace 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).

In a press conference in Malacañan on Thursday, Feb. 6, the President explained why he chose Mercado to head PhilHealth.

"Kung titingnan ninyo ang qualifications ni Dr. Mercado (If you will look at Dr. Mercado's qualifications), he's very, very well-versed in both hospital administration, insurance, and all—his whole life has been devoted to healthcare," he said.

According to President Marcos, Mercado already has plans to improve PhilHealth's services.

"Immediately napunta ang usapan sa digitalization (Immediately we talked about digitalization). Maganda naman ang serbisyo na PhilHealth ngunit yung pag-process ng claim, pag-apply, etc., hindi—kinakamay pa rin kaya't napakabagal (PhilHealth's services is good but the process of claiming and applying is still by hand). That's why it became a priority," he said.

"But, of course, beyond that, he has many other ideas on how to make the services of PhilHealth more inclusive, expanded, and to give better coverage for different conditions for those who will avail of the PhilHealth services and their financial support," he added.

Marcos said Mercado also volunteered to give him a more detailed report within a week.

Meanwhile, the President believed former PhilHealth head Ledesma resigned because he was not used to politics.

"Manny Ledesma is very much... [he] comes from the private sector. So I think he found the transition to be jarring, shall we say," he said.

Mercado is a United States-trained orthopedic surgeon with 35 years of experience in hospital management. A Doctor of Medicine graduate of the University of the Philippines in 1987, he has been the vice chairman of the Mercado General Hospital/Qualimed Health Network since March 2021.

Related Tags

Bongbong Marcos President Marcos PhilHealth Edwin Mercado
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