From the Department of Health
Acting Secretary of Health Janette P. Loreto-Garin recently underscored the many milestones of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) after two decades of service.
As of April 2014, Philhealth now covers 82% of the entire population. This figure includes the 14.7M poor and near poor families identified by the DSWD’s Listahanan whose members include government-employed, privately-employed, individually-paying members, lifetime members, and overseas Filipino workers.
However, Garin noted that one should not remain focused on the number of enrollees alone. What is important after two decades of providing service to the people is the provision of quality service afforded to every Filipino, rich and poor alike.
The Acting Health Chief stressed the need for increased awareness of Philhealth members’ benefits, wider database which in turn translates to improved utilization of resources. Most members, according to Garin, are not fully aware of their benefits.
Private employers should also be encouraged to enroll their employees to Philhealth. Garin explained that enrollment in Philhealth results to improved and increased productivity of workers.
She also called on all stakeholders, including medical societies, legislators, local government units, and other executive officials to work together as Philhealth cannot do it alone. She added that sustainable Universal Health Care is all about us working together.
Other vulnerable members of society now mandated to be enrolled to Philhealth are the elderly, abandoned and neglected children, persons with disabilities, kasambahays, barangay workers without compensation, and project-based employees.
“The promise of health care for the poor without having to pay out-of-pocket expenses is now within reach. Let us work together to surmount challenges and ensure that Universal Health Care becomes a reality for all Filipinos,” Garin concluded.
doh.gov.ph
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