For Brgy workers’ Philhealth coverage City allocates P22M

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City government set aside P22 million to fund Philippine Health Insurance Corporation coverage for barangay workers.

Henry Sanchez, chief of the City Hospitalization Assistance and Medicines Program, said the city government allocated 10,000 slots for all barangay workers, pacification committees (lupon tagapamayapa) and tanods in the 80 barangays.

"I-cover nato ang mga nagtrabaho sa barangay na wala intawon PhilHealth benefits," said Sanchez.

Sanchez said they will no longer cater to indigents after PhilHealth issued a memorandum that their registration will already be covered by the national government through the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Last year, the city government spent nearly P73 million for medicine and hospitalization of the residents.

The amount, Sanchez said, was just part of the P120 million intended budget for last year, which is the same amount this year.

He said the city government was able to save almost P50 million, and the savings could have been bigger if not for the earthquake on October 15 last year.

The earthquake severely damaged the Cebu City Medical Center, the public hospital in the city, and most of the patients had to be admitted to private hospitals like Chong Hua Hospital, Adventist Hospital and Sacred Heart Hospital.

"So daghang naka-avail sa atong program last year," said Sanchez.

Sanchez also presented yesterday CHAMP's accomplishment for 2013 showing that at least 6,840 city residents were able to avail of their medicine, 48.7 percent below their 13,200 target. Some P12 million was spent for the medicine.

The medicine were purchased from the Philippine International Trading Corporation (PITC), a government owned and controlled company operating as a line corporation under the Department of Trade and Industry, which has been operating inside CCMC.

For hospitalization assistance, 4,853 patients were able to avail of this, costing the city some P36.6 million while  4,992 patients availed of other hospital services and laboratory procedures that cost the city P24 million.

Most of the patients were from the south district, said Sanchez.

The CHAMP chief said the number of patients has been increasing every year due to wider information dissemination about the program.

Each patient can avail a maximum of P5,000 for medicine, P25,000 for hospitalization, and P5,000 for laboratory procedures, he added.  (FREEMAN)