The Government said it did not want to "facilitate comparisons among hospitals."

"Nurse pay should be set by the market, not by a secret agreement among hospitals."

Among smaller hospitals with more than 50 beds, about 55% have programs.

Still others bounce among shelters, hospitals, the homes of family members and jail.

Furthermore, adoption has increased most among large hospitals and those in urban areas.

But the question of who should pay for such care has provoked many disputes among insurers, hospitals and patients.

The degree of competition among hospitals has not changed between 1982 and 1989.

Similar plans, the experts say, have failed to find support among patients, doctors and hospitals, or even some insurers.

The individual departments are the leading choices for primary health services among Philippine hospitals.

Merger activity remained active among hospitals and health plans nationally in the 1990s.