The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) has a continuing thrust to expand its services towards realizing the vision of “Pinalawak at mga Bagong Benepisyo para sa Mamamayang Filipino.”
QUEZON CITY, (PIA) – Members of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) can now avail of the enhanced Konsultasyong Sulit at Tama (KONSULTA) Benefit Package with an increased budget per patient rate from P500 to P1,700.
The said increase in the capitation rate forms part of PhilHealth’s efforts to enhance the coverage of its services to ensure that every Filipino has access to affordable and quality healthcare, especially when it comes to primary care.
“We will continue expanding our benefits,” said PhilHealth Senior Vice President for Health Finance Policy Sector, Dr. Israel Francis A. Pargas in the 16th Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas (KBP).
“Pero ang isang mas magandang dapat po nating pagtuunan ng pansin is iyon pong ginagawa ng korporasyon para po makamit natin ‘yung reforms under the Universal Health Care,” he added, citing the need to instill among Filipinos the value of preventive than curative care through the Konsulta Program.
(But one of the primary aspects that we need to set our focus on is the initiatives of the corporation in achieving the reforms under the Universal Health Care.)
Aside from the increase in budget per patient rate, the Konsulta Program also offers wider outpatient benefits including the expansion of essential drugs that can be availed from 21 to 53 select medications for conditions such as asthma, diabetes, and hypertension, among others.
The free laboratory and diagnostic exams under the Konsulta package which can help in the promotion of early detection also saw an increase from 13 to 15 types of tests with the inclusion of mammogram and ultrasound for breast cancer.
Most importantly, the Konsulta benefit package offers free check-up with a primary care professional towards the goal of improving public health outcomes through the provision of preventive health services.
At present, there are 2,797 accredited Konsulta providers in the country composed of government health centers and private clinics. Of which, 447 are from the National Capital Region (NCR).
Meanwhile, more than 23 million Filipinos are already registered in the PhilHealth Konsulta Program and 13.88 percent of the said number are Metro Manila residents.
Over 13 million has already been allocated to fund the healthcare services of Konsulta Program beneficiaries through first patient encounters.
By 2025, PhilHealth is projecting to further expand the services of the Konsulta benefit package to include other health priorities in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These include, in particular, healthcare services for maternal health, animal bite, and HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). (JMP/PIA-NCR)
