Indigents get health coverage

CEBU, Philippines - Close to 3,000 indigent families of Mandaue City converged yesterday morning as the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) launched its "Alamin at Gamitin" (Alaga Ka) program at the Mandaue City Sports Complex and Cultural Center.

The program is a nationwide advocacy campaign to provide indigent families with greater access to primary health care services.

PhilHealth has chosen Mandaue City to be the pilot area in Central Visayas because it is where most of the 3,000 indigent families come, according to officials.

Yesterday's launching of the advocacy campaign was held simultaneously in 17 regions, with the main event taking place in Quezon City.

The agency collaborated with the Department of Health, local government units and other stakeholders in the health sector for the campaign.

The "Alaga Ka" multi-sectoral advocacy campaign aims to ensure that indigent members are made aware and taught on how to avail of primary preventive and other basic health care services in health centers or rural health units.

As of January 2014, PhilHealth has more than 2.7 million members in Central Visayas. Of this number, about 39 percent enjoy free PhilHealth coverage.

They are indigent members whose premiums are paid by the national government through DOH at P2,400 per family per year.

Lawyer Karisma Agraviador, public relations officer of the PhilHealth-7, said that their main objective is to make the country's indigents or sponsored members aware of their benefits.

Agraviador said that unlike members from the employed sector, indigent members enjoy free hospitalization in public hospitals and selected private hospitals.

Indigent members can also avail themselves of free check-ups in health centers and free laboratory tests.

They can enjoy services like regular blood pressure monitoring, as well as screening services for breast cancer for free.

They can also get free medicines for asthma, acute gastroenteritis with no or mild dehydration, urinary tract infection, and minimal and low-risk pneumonia.