Mountain Province – The Provincial Health Office, in partnership with the Provincial Department of Health Office and the PhilHealth-Local Health Insurance Office-Mountain Province, spearheaded an inter-municipal Universal Health Care (UHC) caravan in the 10 municipalities of the province.
The caravan came with a theme, “From Coverage to Care: UHC for Every Life in all Communities of Mountain Province.” It kicked off in Paracelis on March 12 and continued to the other municipalities until it culminated in Tadian on May 3, 2024.
According to UHC Coordinator Imelda U. Sawi, the caravan has general objectives of orienting and reorienting the Local Chief Executives and Local Finance Committees regarding the UHC and its implementing strategies, identifying and providing solutions to issues and concerns relative to UHC implementation, and at the same time, conduct orientations on the PhilHealth’s Konsultasyong Sulit at Tama (Konsulta) Program and health promotion activities via information, education and communication campaigns, focus group discussions and lectures.
The UHC Law or Republic Act No. 11223, as explained by Provincial Health Officer Annie Claire B. Pekas, refers to a new health system that allows all Filipinos to have access to full range of quality health services whenever or wherever they need them without financial hardship.
In addition, Development Management Officer Michael B. Capuyan, Jr., said that the law was conceptualized and implemented as an effort to provide solutions to the different health problems faced by the local government units, the unclear clinical pathway, and the fragmented health system.
Based on the recent level two validation summary report that was presented by Pekas, the province has made significant developments in the implementation of the UHC in the province as of the first quarter of 2024. Pekas said the province achieved 100% in the UHC preparatory level, 72% in the organizational level, and 30% in the functional level.
In order to make further progress, Provincial Health Board Chair and Governor Bonifacio C. Lacwasan, Jr. expressed his commitment in continuously supporting the full implementation of the UHC Law in the province with the help of his fellow government officials and the respective Municipal Health Officer of the ten municipalities.
“Iti biyang ku akas Gobernador ket isu ti panag isiguradok nga mai implementar dagiti ibagbaga na daytuy nga linteg. Katulungak iti daytuy nga responsibilidad dagiti municipal officials, nangnangruna iti mayors, ken municipal health officers,” he said.
Governor Lacwasan also expressed his hopes that the implementation of the UHC will eradicate the people’s mindset of not going to the hospital when experiencing health problems due to the fear of having to pay high medical bills.
In addition, Board Members Joshua B. Fronda and Henry D. Bastian, Jr., as the chair and member of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan’s (SP) Committee on Health, Sanitation, and Social Services, respectively, were one with the Governor in committing their full support. Fronda said that he and his fellow SP members, led by Vice Governor Francis O. Tauli, will be at the frontline in institutionalizing any health programs that will greatly improve the delivery of health services in the province.
“Han health care programs, sha han esa ay priority di administration. So dakami id SP, we always support the health care programs by passing ordinances and resolutions. Sha di han commitment di opisina,” Bastian also said.
In section five of the RA 11223 under the population coverage, it was stated that under the UHC, every Filipino citizen shall be automatically included into the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) of the PhilHealth. In relation to this, personnel from the Local Health Insurance Office led by Chief Social Insurance Officer Jose Safawil and gave a discussion on the registration processes of the NHIP and enumerated the benefits that an individual/member can avail of from the NHIP and the PhilHealth Konsulta Package.
Moreover, PhilHealth- CAR Regional Vice President Dominga A. Gadgad, who graced the caravan in Besao and Sagada on April 29 and 30, respectively, highlighted that the PhilHealth Konsulta Package places a strong emphasis on prevention that aims to keep every member of the family healthy and free from burdens of hospital confinement.
Meanwhile, various services like taking of body mass index and vital signs, PhilHealth membership registration and updating, and health promotion activities via video presentations and distribution of brochures were held as part of the caravan. By HENT