President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. directed PhilHealth and the Presidential Communications Office to intensify information campaigns on the P20,000 annual GAMOT medicine benefit to encourage more Filipinos to use it.
As of Oct. 8, the YAKAP program had registered 22.42 million beneficiaries, while GAMOT had served 1.28 million people.
Marcos also pushed for faster Food and Drug Administration approvals to improve medicine availability, with the agency pledging to clear pending applications within a year.
The FDA plans to hire additional evaluators to reduce delays and improve processing efficiency.
The government and private sector are also seeking to expand healthcare benefits and facilities to make medical services more affordable and accessible.
Source: PhilNews24 | October 26, 2026
