Davao City First Congressional District Representative Paolo Duterte pushed for a free annual medical checkup for all Filipinos to ensure that every Filipino has access to preventive care and is capable of addressing potentially serious health conditions, .
Rep. Duterte, together with Benguet Rep. Eric Yap, and ACT-CIS Partylist Rep. Edvic Yap, filed House Bill (HB) 5074 intending to automatically entitle every Filipino to free blood sugar and cholesterol tests each year.
The bill also known as the “Free Annual Medical Check-Up Act” entitled PhilHealth members to a free annual medical check-up that shall include blood sugar and cholesterol tests.
Laboratory and diagnosis tests shall be expanded, subject to the availability of PhilHealth funds.
“With all Filipinos automatically becoming Philhealth members under the Universal Health Care Act, free medical checkups should form part of their benefits,” Duterte said in a statement.
HB 5074 aims to promote health, identify risks, and ensure early diagnosis. The bill also states that PhilHealth shall establish a system that allows access to a free annual medical check-up and ensure that Filipinos shall be accorded the quality health care services that they deserve.
“Investing in free medical checkups for every Filipino will help save lives and ensure that no one gets left behind when it comes to health care,” Duterte said.
Section 4 of the bill mandates PhilHealth to establish a system that allows access to a free annual medical check-up and ensures that Filipinos shall be accorded the quality of health care services that they deserve.
He added that not only that the bill will capacitate every Filipino to detect early potentially serious medical conditions but it will also benefit Philhealth because it will reduce the expense of paying for coverage of pricey medical procedures that are frequently associated with treating life-threatening diseases.
According to the statement, under the bill, Filipinos can avail the free medical checkups in any government-run hospital or medical institution.
“On top of free cholesterol and blood sugar tests, the three lawmakers also proposed the inclusion of expanded laboratory and diagnostic tests in the free annual medical checkup benefit “subject to the availability of Philhealth funds,” it said.
