In Masantol, 6,322 indigent families were given MDRs while another 8,835 families got theirs in Macabebe, all for free.
Macabebe Mayor Annette Flores-Balgan and Masantol Mayor Dan Guinto said the project was part of the multi sectoral advocacy campaign dubbed as “Alaga Ka Para sa Maayos na Buhay” or “Alaga Ka” of the national government. They thanked PhilHealth, the Department of Health (DOH) and Gov. Lilia Pineda for choosing the poorest families in the two coastal towns as beneficiaries.
“This is a big help to our people. Otherwise, the cost of the PhilHealth fee would have been P2,400 per family,” Balgan said.
Pineda said the MDRs entitle each family-beneficiary to free hospitalization and even regular check-up in government hospitals and even designated private hospitals. She noted that under PhilHealth’s TSeKaP or Tamang Serbisyo para sa Kalusugan ng Pamilya, holders of MDRs can have themselves medically examined despite lack of illness.
“TSeKaP provides consultations with a primary care doctor and entitles them to a package of preventive and promotive services designed to keep them healthy and to detect as well any illnesses early on,” she noted.
The services include regular blood pressure monitoring; counselling on breastfeeding, smoking cessation and lifestyle
modification; screening services to detect breast and cervical cancers; and digital rectal exam.
Pineda also said that upon the recommendation of the physician, medicines for asthma on top of nebulisation services, acute gastroenteritis with no or mild dehydration; minimal and low risk pneumonia, and urinary tract infection are made available.
She also said diagnostic tests such as complete blood count, urinalysis, fecalysis, sputum microscopy, fasting blood sugar, Lipid profile, and chest X-ray are also provided.
