The Philippine Health Insurance Commission is identifying more indigent members in consonance with President Noynoy Aquino’s aim of universal health coverage.
Filbert Sollesta, Field Operations Division head of Philhealth 11 said that the coming Philhealth Sabado 2 (Nationwide Philhealth Registration Day II) this coming June 25 will help to bring in more enrollees under Philhealth either as individual paying members or those which will fall under sponsorship program.
During Philhealth enrolment, a list will also be prepared based on the National Household Targeting System (NHTS) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. The survey can identify people who would be eligible for Philhealth’s sponsored program. According to Sollesta, there are about 310,000 people in Region XI enrolled as sponsored individuals.
Under the Pantawid Pamilya program, the Department of Health is given the funds to enroll indigents under Philhealth’s health coverage. Sollesta said that indigents in the region number about 245,000-250,000 based on figures from DSWD. Nationwide there are about 5-million indigent Filipinos.
About four national government departments are involved in the coming Philhealth Sabado II. The DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government), the DOH, the Department of Education and the DSWD; the four offices will be combining their efforts in bringing more Filipinos particularly from the informal sector under the coverage of Philhealth.
There are about 1.2 million people in Region-XI listed as Philhealth members. [PIA 11]
