MANILA — The House Committee on Health approved Wednesday the various proposals to provide free annual medical check up for Filipinos.
Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo, however, wanted the government, through the Department of Health, to fund the annual medical check ups instead of charging it to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).
"Pag sinasabi ninyong that you fully support, kami ang bahala sa financing ay dahan-dahan po kayo because mayroon yang implication sa buhay ng PhilHealth," Quimbo said.
"Ikamamatay ng PhilHealth kapag buksan yan sa lahat ng Pilipino," Quimbo added.
For its part, PhilHealth supported the bill with a few suggestions, such as giving the them flexibility on which tests it should fund and ensuring funding to implement the program.
"We request respectfully that the Section on Appropriations also include possible additional funding to effectively and efficiently implement the program through PhilHealth," Dr. Albert Domingo of Philhealth said.
Domingo noted that it is already offering its Konsulta Program which allows check up consultation with no out of pocket expenses for patients.
"Sa ngayon po as of January 31, 2023, alinsunod sa batas ng UHC, umaabot na po sa 11.2 milyon Pilipino ang rehistrado sa humigit 1,500 na accredited health Konsulta providers nationwide," Domingo said.
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