PATIENTS of some private hospitals may encounter sudden increases in their hospital bill as hospitalization rates are expected to go up from five to 15 percent.
Dr. Jose Rene De Grano, president of the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines (PHAPi), said the inevitable price hikes are an offshoot of inflation that impacts on medical supplies, equipment and medicine.
He said there are 1,200 private hospitals in the country, about 50 percent of which members of PHAPi.
“The bigger hospitals who are giving out bigger services may probably have increased even to more than 20 percent,” he said.
These facilities are generally classified as Level Two and Three categories. Both types of hospitals have sophisticated diagnostic equipment and specialized facilities like intensive care units.
What makes the Level Three hospitals different are their residency training programs.
De Grano gave assurance however, that the increase in hospitalization rates will remain competitive and that patients should expect hospitals services to be commensurate with hiked charges.
The price adjustment, according to him, was necessary to ensure continued services and to help ensure that hospital employees are adequately paid enough to cope with inflation.
On the other hand, government hospitals have not implemented rate adjustments.
‘Whatever they do, they will also have a subsidy from the government. With or without patients, they will always have a budget allotted for them,” De Grano said.
“Private hospitals do not get subsidy from government. We rely on income from the services which we offer our patients,” he added.
The increased rates will mostly be felt by patients needing confinement, especially those who require laboratory tests and other similar services.
