In a bid to further improve the delivery of and access to public health services in the country, Senator Bong Go reiterated the need for the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation to extend a more holistic support to the Filipinos in need of medical attention, especially during these trying times.
“Last year, as chair of the Senate Health Committee, we successfully pushed for a special provision to use the additional P21 billion under the 2023 national budget for the improvement of various PhilHealth packages, including the expanded dialysis package that PhilHealth now implements,” Go said.
The legislator cited a special provision under the PhilHealth budget for 2023 that indicates the use of the P21 Billion budget pertaining to benefit package improvement under the Universal Health Care Act.
This includes expansion of free dialysis coverage, mental health outpatient coverage, and the implementation of the comprehensive outpatient benefit package, including free medical check-up and other increases in benefit packages.
On February 15, PhilHealth announced that it is set to increase this year its coverage for outpatient hemodialysis to 156 sessions from the current 90 sessions.
“We will expand our coverage for outpatient hemodialysis from 90 to 156 sessions.”
“Recognizing the yearly ordeal of our dialysis patients, we will expand our coverage for outpatient hemodialysis from 90 to 156 sessions,” said PhilHealth President and Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. in a press briefing.
PhilHealth previously increased coverage for outpatient hemodialysis from 90 to 144 sessions in 2021 and 2022.
Go, who chairs the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, earlier filed Senate Bill No. 190, which seeks to mandate PhilHealth to provide free dialysis to all its members.
The proposed measure will task PhilHealth, in consultation with the Health Technology Assessment Council, to develop a comprehensive dialysis benefit package that shall fully cover all costs of hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis treatments, sessions and procedures done in PhilHealth accredited-health facilities.
“I filed the proposed Free Dialysis Act cognizant of the need to institutionalize the provision of an expanded free dialysis package for all Filipinos. PhilHealth, in consultation with the Health Technology Assessment Council, shall develop such a package to cover all hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis treatments, sessions and procedures done in PhilHealth accredited-health facilities,” the senator explained.
“My bill seeks to increase the guaranteed minimum number of dialysis sessions to be provided. Moreover, it also mandates PhilHealth to more stringently scrutinize claims for free dialysis to minimize, if not eradicate, bogus claims,” he continued.
Meanwhile, Go reassured that he will remain persistent in pushing for more initiatives that would further strengthen the country’s health sector, underscoring how the government needs to invest more in health care, especially after the adverse effects of the global health crisis.
In particular, he encouraged the public to seek the services of any of the 154 Malasakit Centers in the country where they may conveniently apply for medical assistance from the government.
“Noon ko pang priority po ‘yan, ‘yung karagdagang dialysis session.”
“Ako po, noon ko pang priority po ‘yan, ‘yung karagdagang dialysis session. Dahil alam mo, kawawa po ang mga kababayan nating mahihirap, ‘yung walang pambayad po na nagtatrabaho para ibayad sa ospital. Dapat po gamitin natin ang pondo ng PhilHealth para tulungan sila at kung maaari to the minimum na po ang babayaran nila, kung maaari nga lang po ay libre,” stressed Go in an ambush interview after he personally led a relief operation in Quezon City.
“At kung may balanse pa kayo lapitan n’yo lang po ang mga Malasakit Center sa buong Pilipinas na handang tumulong po sa inyo. Naiintindihan ko po ang katayuan ng ating mga dialysis patients, napakahirap pong magkasakit lalung-lalo na kapag ikaw ay mahirap, napakahirap po,” he said.
The Malasakit Center houses four government agencies, namely, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Health, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and PhilHealth.
The program celebrated its fifth year anniversary in February. Go is the principal author and sponsor of the Malasakit Centers Act.
“Tulungan po natin sila. Bilang chair ng Committee on Health, nakatutok po ako sa kalusugan ng Pilipino, lalung-lalo na po ‘yung mga mahirap na walang matakbuhan, walang mahingan ng tulong, ‘yung mga hopeless, helpless. ‘Yun po ang dapat tulungan ng ating PhilHealth. Ako po ay nananawagan sa PhilHealth at closely coordinating with PhilHealth na gawin pong mas itaas ang free dialysis session po para sa mahihirap,” he concluded.
