Dr. Edwin M. Mercado, a US-trained orthopedic surgeon with 35 years of experience in hospital management, today took his oath as the new President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth) before President Ferdinand R. Marcos in simple rites at Malacanang Palace.
Mercado replaced Emmanuel R. Ledesma, Jr., in the government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) that provides health insurance to all Filipinos under the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP).
Mercado has been the vice chairman of the Mercado General Hospital/Qualimed Health Network since March 2021. He has demonstrated proven leadership and executive and strategic planning expertise. Under his leadership, Mercado General Hospital Inc. (MGHI) has expanded into a national chain of healthcare facilities that includes four general hospitals, six multi-specialty clinics, two surgery centers, 150 primary care corporate clinics, a college for paramedical professionals, and a physician practice group of 400 four doctors.
A Doctor of Medicine graduate of the University of the Philippines in 1987, Mercado 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 has dedicated his work to ensuring equitable access to quality medical care and leveraging technology to strengthen health systems, particularly in financial management and primary care programs.
He did advocacy work with the Zuellig Family Foundation and several DOH Centers for Health Development, providing technical assistance to Provincial Health Boards on operationalizing their Healthcare Provider Network (HCPN).
A faculty lecturer at the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health (ASMPH) on Global Supply Chain, Research Methods, and Implementation Science, Mercado is also a guest lecturer at the University of the Philippines College of Public Health on Medical Processes and Programs.
Mercado is a fellow under Dr. Chunling Lu, the program director in Global Health Economics and Social Change, Division of Global Health Equity, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Department of Social Medicine and Global Health, Harvard Medical School, since July 2023. He is studying the cost of per-member payment for global coverage of in-patient services. He is involved in an ongoing study on using Artificial Intelligence (AI) as an assistive tool for community health workers to deliver primary care. ###
