BONTOC, Mountain Province -- Birthing mothers who are not covered by Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) are exempted from paying all hospital services and fees while confined in any of the hospitals under the operation and management control of the provincial government.
This is provided under Provincial Ordinance 167 in line with the goal of the province to provide responsive health services to its people and to delist itself from the region’s top province with the most maternal deaths.
It provides all birthing mothers who are bona fide residents of the province and not covered by PhilHealth shall be exempted from the payment of all hospital services and fees for their first four deliveries and confinement in any of the hospitals/clinics under the operation and management control of the Provincial Government here.
For the fifth and succeeding deliveries, the birthing mother is required to pay 50 percent of her total hospital bills.
Entitled to the privilege provided in this ordinance, the birthing mother must comply with the following conditions: must have at least four pre-natal visits in any hospital or clinic during her entire pregnancy and completely noted in the "mother and child book" or other recognized and valid paper or document; must present said "mother and child book" or any other recognized and valid paper or document before confinement; and must commit to practice pure breastfeeding.
Privilege for birthing mothers provided under Provincial Ordinance 167 does not apply to birthing mothers who are holders of PhilHealth cards including the qualified beneficiaries of paying members; those covered by separate health insurance with similar designs and purpose given by other insurance providers; those who may be recipients or beneficiaries of any other form of maternal health care relative to child birth; and those who opt to be confined in private rooms and or "deluxe" rooms of the hospital during their period of confinement. (Juliet Saley)