A 67-year-old Manila resident with blocked heart arteries left Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center this week owing nothing, after undergoing a procedure private facilities bill at between P800,000 and P1.5 million.
The case, disclosed Thursday afternoon, July 9, marks the third angioplasty completed at the city-run hospital. Based on the itemized cost, the patient’s bill would have reached close to P975,000.
“Magkano po binayaran ng pasyente natin ngayon? Zero. Literally zero. Walang binayaran. Salamat sa taxpayers ng siyudad,” Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso said during his “Talk to the People” livestream on Facebook.
Angioplasty clears obstructed cardiac arteries without opening the chest. Patients typically go home within days rather than facing the long convalescence that follows bypass surgery.
“Kapag barado po yung puso at hindi pa kayo due for bypass, at kaya naman ng angioplasty, ‘yan po yung procedure,” Domagoso said.
Thursday’s operation was carried out by a team under Manila City Health Officer Dr. Grace Padilla, working alongside interventional cardiologists, anesthesiologists, nurses, and radiologic technologists.
The program traces back to September 2025, when Manila opened a Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory and began offering angiograms at no charge. Two angioplasties followed in March 2026.
Domagoso, who has spoken often about his upbringing in poverty, framed the service as a matter of access rather than charity.
“Maraming mahirap ang namamatay nang hindi nabibigyan ng patas na pagkakataon, at least pagkakataon man lamang, kasi kung nandiyan ang mga doktor, gamit, gamot, mabigyan siya ng patas na laban,” he said.
Roughly P25 million has been reserved as standby funding for equipment acquisition and upkeep. On whether the free service will hold, the mayor was unequivocal: “Wala pong bayad ang angioplasty [sa ating pampublikong ospital], at tuloy-tuloy po ‘yan.”
