Cordillerans urged to join PhilHealth

THE Department of Health (DOH) in Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) encouraged the public, who are not yet members of the PhilHealth, to enroll now in order to combat poverty.

DOH official Emily Quines said the rural health units (RHUs) will provide free services and free medicines to members of PhilHealth.

Apart from the RHUs, she said health centers and hospitals also offer several benefits to members of PhilHealth.

Other health authorities earlier noted poverty hinders people from availing of health services. Most of the people are afraid to go to hospitals even if they are dying because of financial constraints. Some just prefer to get well at home resorting to traditional medicines or alternative healing.

Officials revealed some people, who can’t afford to finance their needs or hospitalization, die without being checked, adding that some mothers prefer giving birth at home which leads to maternal and neonatal deaths.

The DOH and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) entered into a partnership last year to minimize maternal and neonatal deaths. The two agencies started a project which caters to the needs of the pregnant women in Cordillera.

However, authorities from DOH and Jica admitted they cannot achieve their goal if there are no insurance companies to help the patients financially. PhilHealth is just among the several companies, private or public offering health insurances.

Jica chief adviser Makoto Tobe said if a patient is a member of PhilHealth, then the government will shoulder all the fees when he is hospitalized. He said these fees include the medicines, professional fees, hospital bills and laboratory fees.

PhilHealth offers its new case rates with fixed amounts of benefits that can be availed off depending on the operation or illness. The new case rates had two types, the medical cases and the surgical cases.

Under the medical cases, there are 11 illnesses PhilHealth will cover with fixed price.

These are: dengue I (for grades I and II-P8,000); dengue II (for grades III and IV-P16,000); pneumonia I (for moderate risk-P15,000); pneumonia II (for high risk-P32,000); essential hypertension (P9,000); cerebral infarction (P28,000); cerebro–vascular accident (P38,000); acute gastroenteritis (P6,000); asthma (P9,000); typhoid fever (P14,000); and newborn care package in hospital and lying–in clinics (P1,750).

The surgical cases covered by PhilHealth are: radiotherapy (P3,000); hemodialysis (P4,000); maternal care package (P8,000 or P6,500 depending on the level of the hospital); caesarian section (P19,000); appendectomy (P24,000); cholecystectomy (P31,000); dilatation and curettage (P11,000); thyroidectomy (P31,000); herniorrhapy (P21,000); mastectomy (P22,000); hysterectomy (P30,000); and cataract surgery (P16,000).