A HEALTH organization called for the resignation of Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Teodoro “Ted” Herbosa, saying the country’s health crisis has “deepened and worsened” under his watch. The Health Alliance for Democracy (HEAD) pressed for Herbosa’s resignation during a rally in front of the DOH main office in Manila on Monday. “Despite widespread calls for transparency and accountability over the use of the P60 billion PhilHealth funds, Herbosa chose silence — complicity through inaction,” the group said in a statement. It said Herbosa, who also serves as chairman of the PhilHealth Board of Directors, allowed the transfer of the P89.9 billion in PhilHealth funds to the National Treasury. “These funds were never ‘excess’; they were the result of PhilHealth’s criminal underspending to expand its benefit packages and reduce out-of-pocket spending of patients,” the group said. It likened “Herbosa’s corruption” to the flood control scandal that has plagued the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). In October, the DoH revealed before the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) that 300 out of 878 super health centers funded under its Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP) are “ghost” or non-operational, 365 are still under construction, 196 are classified as “ready for occupancy,” and 17 are partially operational. During the bicameral conference on Saturday, lawmakers reported that the DoH failed to disclose the true status of super health centers needing funding for the 2026 national budget. HEAD argued that the non-operational facilities have deprived people — especially the poor and those in rural areas—access to essential health services. “This neglect is a direct assault on the health rights of the most vulnerable Filipinos,” it said. The group also said Herbosa failed to issue clear guidelines for the department’s Medical Assistance for Indigents and Financially Incapacitated Patients (Maifip) program, saying it turns “healthcare into a tool for electoral favors instead of a public service.” The Maifip program aims to provide financial assistance to reduce the out-of-pocket expenses of indigent patients through guaranteed letters from politicians. The group accused Herbosa of “double-speak” by praising health workers while refusing to address contractualization, long hours of work, and understaffing. HEAD said these issues, along with Herbosa’s pending cases before the Ombudsman, are “acts that point to systemic corruption tolerated and enabled at the highest level.”