President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed Dr. Edwin Mercado as the new President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).
Mercado took his oath before President Marcos in a simple ceremony on February 4 at Malacañang Palace.
The newly appointed PhilHealth chief is a US-trained orthopaedic surgeon with 35 years of experience in hospital management.
Serving as vice chairman of Mercado General Hospital/Qualimed Health Network since March 2021, he reportedly demonstrated exceptional leadership and expertise in executive management and strategic planning.
Under his leadership, Mercado General Hospital Inc. (MGHI) has expanded into a national network of healthcare facilities.
Additionally, he has been involved in advocacy work with the Zuellig Family Foundation and various Department of Health (DOH) Centers for Health Development, offering technical assistance to Provincial Health Boards in operationalizing their Healthcare Provider Network (HCPN).
Mercado graduated from the University of the Philippines with a doctor of medicine in 1987. He completed his Master of Medical Sciences in Global Health Delivery from Harvard Medical School in 2023.
He also has an Executive Master’s in Healthcare Administration from the University of North Carolina in the US.
Mercado replaced Emmanuel R. Ledesma, Jr. as the head of the government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) responsible for providing health insurance to all Filipinos through the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP).
