CLARK FREEPORT — The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. in Central Luzon is intensifying the state insurer’s campaign on Konsultasyong Sulit at Tama, better known as PhilHealth Konsulta, urging members to register even as it strives to accredit more providers.
PhilHealth Konsulta is the expanded primary care benefit package developed and implemented by PhilHealth starting in 2021 as an initial step towards adopting a comprehensive approach to delivering primary care, as prescribed under RA 11223 or the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law.
In Tuesday’s News@Hues media forum of the Pampanga Press Club at Park Inn by Radisson here, PhilHealth’s acting regional vice president Edgardo F. Faustino said that to date, 270,732 members in the region are already registered under their preferred Konsulta provider.
This, he said, will enable members and dependents availment of essential outpatient services such as consultations, health screening and assessment, 13 diagnostic laboratory tests, and medicines available to all Filipinos.
Faustino said that as of Aug. 30, 2022 the province of Pampanga has 55 Konsulta providers and more are signing up which translates to expanded coverage of the program.
All of Pampanga’s 11 district hospitals are now Konsulta Providers, along with 41 rural health units, the LGU-run Mexico Community Hospital, and three private facilities: the Kapampangan Development Foundation in City of San Fernando, St. John Paul II Medical Center in Magalang, and Quest Diagnostics Philippines in Angeles City.
The PhilHealth Konsulta package covers individual-based health services including initial and follow-up primary care consultations, health screening and assessment and access to selected diagnostic services, and medicines. (www.philhealth.gov.ph)
In this way, preventable diseases can be identified and discovered ahead of time, preventing the same from growing into catastrophic or emergency cases needing hospitalization.
Faustino stressed that PhilHealth Konsulta is not only a necessity for every Filipino but also serves as a significant financial incentive for accredited health care facilities to augment their resources to provide uninterrupted primary care services in both public and private sectors in the form of capitation.
It ensures that all Filipinos are guaranteed equitable access to quality and affordable health care goods and services and protected against financial risk, hr added.
