Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 3) — State health insurer Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) is urging more private primary care providers to get accredited in a bid to provide more affordable health care to Filipinos.
“Karamihan ng ating kababayan, sa totoo lang, nagpupunta sa pribado na health care provider, pribado na duktor, pribadong health center, clinic na sinasabi. Ang goal natin is dapat ang gastos ay mababa – kung kaya nga natin librehin,” PhilHealth spokesperson Albert Domingo told CNN Philippines on Thursday.
[Translation: Most people go to private health care providers, doctors, health centers, clinics. Our goal is to keep costs down – maybe even provide it for free.]
At a hearing of the House health committee last week, Domingo said only 12% or 249 out of 2,161 primary health care providers accredited by PhilHealth are from the private sector.
“We need to bring more of these private primary care givers onboard,” Domingo said in an interview on Newsroom Ngayon.
Under PhilHealth’s primary outpatient health care program, enrolled members can avail of free medical consultations, medicines, and laboratory tests from accredited providers.
“What’s important is hindi siya reimbursement – ibig sabihin hindi siya binabayaran pagkatapos ng serbisyo,” Domingo said.
[Translation: What’s important is that it’s not reimbursement – meaning, there are no fees after the service.]
Watch the interview here.
