PHILHEALTH Regional Office VII officially granted accreditation to the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu’s Health Services Unit as a Konsulta Package Provider, making it the first campus-based health facility in the Visayas to receive such accreditation.
A ceremonial turnover of the accreditation certificate was held on July 14, 2025, at UP Cebu’s Learning Commons Building. During the event, PhilHealth Regional Vice President (RVP) Marjorie Cabrieto expressed her gratitude to UP Cebu for being a key partner in expanding access to essential healthcare services. She highlighted the significance of the program, noting that "This accreditation is not just for employees and students; it extends to their families as well. This is just the beginning. More programs are in the pipeline, and further enhancements are coming.”
Part of the event included an orientation on how the Konsulta Program would benefit enrollees of UP Cebu’s Health Services Unit, providing them with easier access to primary preventive healthcare services. Atty. Leo Malagar, UP Cebu Chancellor, emphasized the importance of their accreditation, highlighting how this development will not only benefit the university's workforce but also provide valuable support to its students.
Through the PhilHealth Konsulta Package, PhilHealth members and their legal dependents can avail of free consultations, health risk screening and assessment, and basic laboratory and diagnostic tests. These include complete blood count (CBC), urinalysis, fecalysis, lipid profile, fasting blood sugar (FBS), and chest X-ray, among others. Select medicines such as anti-asthma, anti-diabetic, anti-dyslipidemia, anti-microbial, anti-hypertensive drugs, and paracetamol, fluid, and electrolytes are also covered.
To avail of the Konsulta Package, PhilHealth members and dependents need to register or choose their preferred PhilHealth-accredited provider, which can be either a government or private facility. Once registered, they can access free consultations, laboratory tests, and medicines based on the assessment of the accredited Konsulta Package Provider (KPP) doctor. Services under PhilHealth Konsulta in accredited government health facilities like UP Cebu’s Health Services Unit are free all year round, meaning UP Cebu personnel and students can now avail of primary care services within their campus at no cost.
Key officers also graced the event, including UP Cebu alumna and PhilHealth Region VII Field Operations Division Chief, Ms. Jenet Ann Advincula, who initiated the engagement with UP Cebu for the KPP accreditation. Also present were PhilHealth Region VII Health Care Delivery Management Division (HCDMD) Chief Dr. Maria Eliza Batucan, Accreditation and Quality Assurance Section (AQAS) Chief Dr. Kier Tamparong, Legal Office Chief Atty. Ligaya Victoria Barcenas, Membership Section Chief Vanessa Lastimoso, and Local Health Insurance Office Chief Anafe Campanilla.
On the same day, a mobile desk was set up by PhilHealth personnel to allow the UP Cebu community to enroll directly into the Konsulta program and avail of basic frontline services, such as amending membership records and getting updated Member Data Records and PhilHealth ID cards.
Dr. Lowel Dee, head of the UP Cebu Health Services Unit, closed the event by expressing her appreciation for PhilHealth’s continued support and reiterated their dedication to providing primary care services. “We will do our best to serve our registered members according to the goals of the PhilHealth Konsulta program,” Dr. Dee assured.
This accreditation marks an important step forward in PhilHealth’s ongoing mission to enhance healthcare access for all, especially among students and employees in state universities and colleges. As more educational institutions join the program, PhilHealth remains committed to expanding its reach, ensuring that preventive healthcare services are accessible and affordable for every Filipino.(PR)