Eastern Samar governor welcomes appointment of new health chiefs

TACLOBAN CITY — Eastern Samar Gov. Ralph Vincent Evardone has welcomed the appointment of Dr. Edwin Mercado as health secretary and Dr. Beverly Ho as president and chief executive officer of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), saying stronger national support would help provinces improve healthcare delivery.

Evardone said improving health services and upgrading medical facilities remain among the priorities of his administration, with the provincial government continuing to invest in healthcare infrastructure, medicines and other essential services.

“We warmly congratulate Dr. Edwin Mercado as the new secretary of health and Dr. Beverly Ho as the new president and CEO of PhilHealth. We wish them success,” Evardone said in a statement.

Article continues after this advertisement

READ: Marcos swears in Mercado as DOH chief, Ho as PhilHealth head

FEATURED STORIES

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

The governor said the provincial government operates 10 provincial hospitals and rural health units serving communities and is ready to work with the Department of Health (DOH) and PhilHealth to ensure accessible and quality healthcare across the province.

To further strengthen the provincial healthcare system, the provincial government has outlined major financial investments, including P500 million for the major rehabilitation of the Eastern Samar Provincial Hospital.

Another P176 million has been secured for essential medical supplies, drugs and medicines for district hospitals, as the province seeks to ensure that its local health facilities have adequate resources to serve patients.

The provincial government is also increasing baseline funding for local medical facilities while seeking additional financial support from the DOH.

Article continues after this advertisement

Evardone expressed hope that the new leadership at the DOH and PhilHealth would help the province move closer to the objectives of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law, particularly in improving access to healthcare in geographically dispersed and underserved communities.

“We hope that with the leadership of Secretary Mercado and Dr. Ho, we will be able to move closer to the objectives of the UHC Law, and it will be a big help, especially to provinces like ours,” he said.

Article continues after this advertisement

Eastern Samar has communities spread across the mainland and island areas, making continued investment in hospitals, rural health facilities, medicines and other medical services crucial to bringing healthcare closer to residents. /das