P30B allotted for enhanced PhilHealth benefit packages, primary care

MANILA – The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) has allotted P30 billion to enhance its benefit packages and provision of primary health care services to its members this year.

"Target po natin ay lahat po tayong Pilipino ay mabigyan ng access sa ating Konsulta [Konsultasyong Sulit at Tama] Package providers para manatiling malusog po tayong lahat," PhilHealth's corporate affairs group acting vice president Rey Baleña said in a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon interview aired over PTV 4.

(Our target is for all Filipinos to gain access to our Konsulta Package providers so we can all stay healthy.)

"Hindi na kailangan magkasakit yung miyembro para magamit 'yung PhilHealth benefit. Kung mayroon pong dinaramdam, ito po ay maagang made-detect at maaagapan po at 'di na matutuloy sa magastos na gamutan," he added.

(The member needs not be sick to use the PhilHealth benefit. If there are symptoms, these will be detected and cured early and will not result in expensive treatment.)

PhilHealth accredited 2,611 Konsulta Package providers in 2023 which are mostly rural health units and health centers, infirmaries and primary health clinics, and some private clinics, Baleña said.

For members to avail of the Konsulta Packages, they must choose a provider from the list accredited facilities and register. After registration, they will undergo health screening and assessment where the health risks would be identified.

"Ang konsultasyon with a primary care physician ay walang bayad. May nakapaloob din dito na mga laboratoryo at mga gamot," he said.

(The consultation with a primary care physician is free. There are also laboratories and medicines.)

The 13 laboratory and diagnostic tests are complete blood count, urinalysis, fecal stool test, chest x-ray and lipid profile, among others.

The 21 drugs and medicines included are maintenance medicines for patients who have diabetes, hypertension and asthma.

The tests and medicines will be provided to the patients for free based on the recommendation of the Konsulta Package provider.

This year, PhilHealth is working on the enhancement of its benefit packages for HIV patients, animal bite victims, tuberculosis, children under 5 years old experiencing severe acute malnutrition, children undergoing open heart surgeries, and malaria patients.

It also plans to increase its breast cancer package from P100,000 to P1.4 million, kidney transplantation (currently P600,000), cervical cancer package and prostate cancer package.

As for the free maintenance medicines, it plans to increase them from 21 to 53 drugs this year.

In 2023, PhilHealth increased the hemodialysis sessions from 90 to 156 for patients with stage 5 chronic kidney disease.

It also increased the benefit package for high risk pneumonia from P32,000 to P90,100; hemorrhagic stroke from P38,000 to P80,000; and ischemic stroke from P28,000 to P76,000. (PNA)