The Department of Health (DOH) said on Saturday that four government-run specialty hospitals will receive an additional PHP1 billion under the 2026 budget.

The four hospitals are Lung Center of the Philippines, National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Philippine Children’s Medical Center and Philippine Heart Center.

This forms part of efforts to expand Zero Balance Billing (ZBB) services initiated by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

In a social media post, Health Secretary Ted Herbosa expressed gratitude to Marcos for the allocation, which aims to strengthen the Universal Health Care system.

As government-owned and controlled corporations, the four hospitals typically maintain a 70 percent private bed capacity and 30 percent public.

With the additional budget, public services, including ZBB, will be expanded, allowing more patients to access complex medical procedures without out-of-pocket expenses.

ZBB was first implemented in DOH hospitals following the 2025 State of the Nation Address, benefiting over one million patients before the year ended. (PNA)