PhilHealth expands services to OFWs via texting program

The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation has expanded the reach of its services abroad as it now starts offering its "TxtPhilHealth" to members -including overseas Filipino workers and their families.

TxtPhilHealth is a facility that allows members to use short messaging service, commonly known as text messages, to check their identifications, remittances, and other benefits of PhilHealth, the government's health and medical benefits agency.

PhilHealth started pilot testing the service last year in partnership with Smart Communications, Globe Telecommunications, and Sun Cellular.

To use the service, PhilHealth members must type in their queries with their personal details to 296 for Smart, and 2960 for Globe and Sun Cellular users.

PhilHealth hopes to attract more than half of its 64 million members who have mobile phones, especially OFWs who would otherwise have no easy access to information of their status with the agency while they are working overseas.

OFWs, even while abroad, can now check their accounts as well as of their family members through TxtPhilHealth.

PhilHealth vice president for membership and contributions Gregg Rulloda said the agency is now coordinating with the Overseas Worker Welfare Administration to have a database of all registered OFWs, which numbers at least half a million at present.

"We'll add this data to the list of 100,000 registered OFWs that have applied for PhilHealth services," Rulloda said.

Rulloda said PhilHealth-registered OFWs can get their health and medical claims through the Philippine Embassies in countries where they are located.

"Soon, OFWs can check their remittances through our website (www.philhealth.gov.ph)," Rulloda added. - Jasmin R. Uy