DOH chief resigns; PhilHealth CEO takes over

MANILA, Philippines — Another secretary of the Department of Health has resigned due to health reasons in less than a month, prompting yet another leadership change in the DOH.

President Marcos has appointed Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) president and chief executive officer Edwin Mercado as health secretary, replacing Jose Pujalte Jr., who stepped down after a 28-day stint in the Cabinet.

Pujalte’s resignation came after he was accused of frequenting casinos and favoring a supplier of anti-tuberculosis medicine.

Asked at a media briefing yesterday whether the issues that dogged Pujalte had anything to do with the appointment of a new DOH chief, Palace press officer Claire Castro replied: “For now, I cannot answer. He voluntarily resigned and it was accepted by our President.”

“The information relayed to us was that Dr. Pujalte voluntarily resigned because of his health,” she added.

Pujalte was appointed DOH secretary last July 13, replacing Teodoro Herbosa, who also quit because of health reasons.

Days after assuming the leadership of the agency, Pujalte was accused by “concerned citizens” of going to casinos and using aliases, acts that they claimed violated Presidential Decree 1869, the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees and the Anti-Alias Law.

Pujalte denied the accusation, saying he was just invited by an official to a hotel last July 20 to discuss the delivery of assistance to public hospitals in Bicol.

Another complaint filed before the Office of the Ombudsman alleged that the outgoing health secretary had delayed the bidding for anti-tuberculosis medicines to favor a supplier.

Responding to the complaint, Pujalte said the bidding process had to be reviewed to ensure that government rules are followed and public funds are used properly. 
Mercado, the incoming health secretary, was appointed PhilHealth chief in February last year. He served as medical director of the Daniel Mercado Medical Center from 1998 to 2000 and president and CEO of various hospitals from 2000 to 2016.

Mercado completed his medicine degree at the University of the Philippines and his Master of Medical Science in Global Health Delivery at the Harvard Medical School. He also holds an Executive Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration from the University of North Carolina.
“The President wants the health of our countrymen prioritized. Dr. Mercado is not new in the job because he served as CEO of PhilHealth and he knows what the President wants for our countrymen,” Castro said.

Beverly Lorraine Ho, the current chief health officer of Ayala Healthcare Holdings Inc., will succeed Mercado as PhilHealth chief. Ho was previously assistant secretary, undersecretary and deputy spokesperson of the DOH.

Sen. JV Ejercito lauded the appointment of Mercado and Ho, stressing their importance in furthering the objectives of the Universal Health Care law, which the senator authored.

“This will be a UHC friendly team!” Ejercito said.

“We support the appointment of Dr. Edwin Mercado as the new secretary of health. We are optimistic that he will bring his valuable expertise as a physician and health care executive to the DOH at a time when we need to push our health reforms even further,” he said.

The lawmaker also mentioned that Ho was instrumental during the development of the UHC law. — Marc Jayson Cayabyab