WITH surgical procedures among the costly medical services in the country, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) is looking to make it more accessible to Filipinos.
In a statement after signing a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Philippine College of Surgeons (PCS), PhilHealth President and CEO Dr. Edwin Mercado said they are looking to develop a system that will make quality surgical care more accessible to Filipinos.
"Surgical professionals are among our most important partners in delivering on the promise of Universal Health Care," said Mercado.
"Through this agreement, we are working with PCS to build the system that will make quality surgical care more reachable for every Filipino," he added.
Under the agreement, PhilHealth and PCS will jointly develop surgical benefit packages, referral networks, and quality standards, supported by research and geographic mapping of surgical services across the country.
The MOA also provides that PCS will ensure compliance of its member-surgeons with PhilHealth policies, strengthen fraud detection and ethical claims review, and participate in a joint mechanism for resolving surgical claims and complaints.
PCS will likewise commit to identify and share emerging best practices in surgical procedures to PhilHealth.
"This partnership supports PhilHealth's mandate under Universal Health Care to ensure that all Filipinos have access to surgical services that are safe, fairly delivered, and of the highest standard," said Mercado.
Based on estimates, there are about four surgeons for every 10,000 Filipinos. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)
