Celestina Ma. Jude de la Serna was elected as the interim officer-in-charge, president and chief executive officer of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).
De la Serna was elected unanimously following the resignation of Hildegardes Dineros who remains as member of the board representing the informal economy sector.
Health Secretary and PhilHealth chairperson Paulyn Jean Rosell-Ubial said the Board “has a difficult task ahead’’ and that it needs to “fulfill its governance mandate to keep PhilHealth strong to serve the poor.”
She reiterated the Board’s commitment “to work towards a just and fair compensation for the entire PhilHealth work force” and “to do its legal duty of appointing able and competent senior officers who can bring solutions to the fore so that PhilHealth can fulfill its mandate to the poor.”
De la Serna is the appointive member of the PhilHealth Board representing overseas Filipino migrant workers. She obtained her Doctor of Medicine degree from the De la Salle University in Dasmariñas, Cavite in 1989. She worked at the De la Serna Clinic, a private health clinic based in Bohol province from 2002-2003 before heading the Maribojoc Community Hospital for two years. She was the Chief of Hospital of Cong. Natalio P. Castillo Sr. Memorial Hospital, also in Bohol.
