Text by Martin R. Racza with inputs from the Presidential Communications Office, Philstar.com, and Harvard Medical School

Photo from the Presidential Communications Office

President Marcos Jr. administers the oath of office to Dr. Edwin Mercado.

Dr. Edwin Mercado, an orthopedic surgeon and alumnus of the College of Medicine (CM), has been appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as the new president and chief executive officer of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).

Mercado, a member of CM Class 1987, was the chief resident and awarded most outstanding researcher during his service in the Philippine General Hospital. He finished with a master’s degree in healthcare administration at the Gillings School of Global Public Health of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Recently, Harvard Medical School conferred on him a Master of Medical Sciences in Global Health Delivery degree. He has published studies on bone graft substitutes and fracture treatment but has lately focused on health economics and delivery models to comply with the universal healthcare law.

Dr. Mercado is the vice chair of Mercado General Hospital Inc., a national chain of healthcare facilities that includes four general hospitals, six multi-specialty clinics, two surgery centers, 150 primary care corporate clinics, and more. #