The Department of Health (DOH) has announced it will be disqualifying irresponsible drivers from the Zero-Balance Billing Policy at accredited public hospitals. Health secretary Teodoro Herbosa issued this statement at the United Nations Press Conference on Road Safety, last September 11, 2025.
“I am announcing that if you are admitted because you are not wearing a helmet, a seatbelt, or were drinking (alcohol), you are now disqualified from the Zero Balance Billing,” said Herbosa.
For the uninitiated, the policy states that all Filipino citizens who are admitted to a basic or ward accommodation at any of the 87 hospitals under the DOH will have all of their expenses covered. This includes professional fees, medicines, and other payments that a hospital patient would usually need to make.
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This initiative echoes the department’s overall goal to cut road safety accidents and fatalities by 50% in 2028. According to the DOH, about 13,000 citizens were lost to road crashes in 2024—an uptick from the average 12,000 annual fatalities that were previously reported.
Back in June, Herbosa shared that a strict implementation of a 30kph speed limit on all city and municipal streets could help in making roads safer. He believes that slower cars would generate more interest in other forms of mobility—such as cycling and commuting.
