CLARK FREEPORT – With 60 percent of some 580,000 poor Filipinos dying of various ailments without any medical aid in the last two years, the Philippine National Health Corp. (Phil- Health) has assured health advocates it is capable of providing preventive health check-ups and maintenance medications to all its members in the country.
Mike Defensor, a former Cabinet member of the Arroyo administration who is a nominee of the Partylist Anakalusugan in next year’s polls, said he got such assurance from PhilHealth officials amid plans of his group to push legislations to realize wider health insurance coverage in the country.
In a forum with the Capampangans in Media, Inc. here last Friday, Defensor lamented that “a yearly average of more than 580,000 Filipinos have died in the last two years, 60 percent of whom were never attended by medical professionals. Heart diseases, cancer and pneumonia were listed as the top causes of these deaths.”
He noted that Central Luzon ranked third in the number of such deaths, with Metro Manila topping the list and Southern Tagalog region coming second.
“What we want is a more comprehensive and reasonable insurance coverage for all. At present, you can’t get PhilHealth assistance unless you are hospitalized for a certain number of hours,” he said.
He also lamented that lack of diagnostics coverage or medical physical examinations for health maintenance. “It’s only when you get sick that you are covered. Nothing on medical examinations that is just preventive to avoid being hospitalized,” he noted.
Defensor had occupied various posts in the Arroyo government including being housing czar. He was invited recently by the Partylist Anakalusugan to be among its nominees for Congress in next year’s elections.
In a statement, Anakalusugan formally introduced its nominees that included Defensor, former Batangas Mayors’ League president Adorlito Ginete and former Philippine National Railways general manager Ower Andal.
“In morphing into a partylist group, Anakalusugan wanted to bring its advocacy to Congress with the same zeal by pushing for health-focused legislations and serve as the ‘physician’s aide’ in looking after the overall health of Filipinos,” the statement said.
Ginete said “one way to do it is to increase the funding for barangay health stations out of the shares of the local government units from their internal revenue allotments. We should also ensure that a station exists in every barangay and is fully equipped.”
Ginete, a former three-term mayor of Sta. Teresita in Batangas, noted that about 50 percent of the country’s municipalities do not have health stations in their barangays.
For his part, Defensor said “let us include diagnostics under the coverage of PhilHealth, even for once a year only. Let us also extend PhilHealth coverage to include maintenance medicines which can drain the finances of Filipino families.”
“So, we really have to strengthen the program so that every Filipino would have the chance to undergo a medical checkup and meet his requirement for a maintenance medicines, both of which should be supported by the government,” he stressed.
