Taguig inks MOA with PhilHealth; sponsors over 5,000 poor families

The Taguig City Government and Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) have entered into an agreement to provide more indigent families in the city access to a wide range of health benefits.

Mayor Lani Cayetano signed the agreement with PhilHealth vice president for Metro Manila Dr. Shirley Domingo at the Taguig City Hall auditorium last October 16, in the presence of other Taguig and PhilHealth officials.

Based on the agreement, some 5,276 marginalized and underprivileged families in Taguig would be provided PhilHealth coverage under the sponsorship of the local government.

“We are doing this to ensure that the poorest of the poor who are non-members of PhilHealth will have access to medical and health benefits. This is our response to achieve the national government’s agenda of a universal health care,” said Mayor Lani Cayetano.

The 5,276 new beneficiary families are in addition to the 9,062 indigents that have been identified in the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR), which was completed in 2008. PhilHealth premiums of beneficiaries identified in the NHTS-PR are subsidized by the national government.

The additional beneficiaries in Taguig were identified in a survey conducted by the city’s community health teams (CHT’s) and subsequently verified by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Dr. Isaias Ramos, chief of the City Health Office, said that under the agreement the Taguig City Government committed to subsidize the PhilHealth premium of the 5,276 poor families from September 1 this year up to December 31, 2013.

For its part, PhilHealth agreed to provide Taguig a discounted rate for the premium of its sponsored beneficiaries of P400 per family from September to December this year, and P1,200 per family in 2013.

PhilHealth hiked its premium from P1,200 per family annually to P2,400 beginning January this year but offered a 50 percent discount to sponsors who would commit to subsidize premium payments of poor families up to 2013.

PhilHealth members and their dependents under the sponsored program may be provided healthcare for free under certain conditions at any PhilHealth-accredited government facility or hospital.

Members can also avail of out-patient benefits, as well as medicines, in health centers where they are enlisted.

Dr. Ramos said CHTs are continuously conducting surveys and assessments to identify other potential beneficiaries of the PhilHealth sponsorship program of the local government.

Mayor Lani has devoted a lot of her effort on improving the delivery of health services to Taguigenos. Under her term, the city government managed to provide a complete staff consisting of a doctor, nurse and dentist for each of the city’s health centers.

She also initiated infrastructure projects for the health sector, including the construction of the Taguig City Emergency Hospital and the “Super Health Centers” intended to serve as mini-hospitals that are open to the public 24/7.

TAGALOG VERSION:

Pumasok sa isang kasunduan ang Taguig City Government at ang Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) upang mas maraming maralitang pamilya sa lungsod ang makinabang sa mga maraming benepisyong nakalaan para sa kalusugan.

Ang kasunduan ay nilagdaan sa pagitan nina Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano at ni PhilHealth Vice President for Metro Manila Dr. Shirley Domingo sa isang seremonya sa Taguig City Hall auditorium noong Oktubre 16 na sinaksihan ng iba pang mga opisyales ng Taguig at ng PhilHealth.

Sa ilalim ng kasunduan, 5,276 maralitang pamilya sa Taguig ang bibiyayaan ng PhilHealth coverage na tutustusan ng pamahalaang lungsod.

“Ginagawa namin ito upang matiyak na ang mga maralita na hindi pa kasapi ng PhilHealth ay magkakaroon ng access sa medical benefits. Ito ang aming tugon sa hangarin ng national government na mabigyan ang lahat ng karampatang health care,” wika ni Mayor Lani.

Ang 5,276 mahirap na pamilya na bagong beneficiaries ay karagdagan sa 9,062 na pamilya na natukoy sa pamamagitan ng National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) na natapos noong 2008. Ang PhilHealth premium para sa mga beneficiary sa ilalim ng NHTS-PR ay sinasagot ng national government.

Ang mga karagdagang beneficiary ay natukoy naman sa sumunod na survey na isinagawa ng mga community health team (CHT) ng pamahalaang lokal ng Taguig na inaprubahan ng Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Sinabi ni Dr. Isaias Ramos, hepe ng City Health Office na sa ilalim ng nilagdaang kasunduan ay babayaran ng Taguig City Government ang Philhealth premium ng 5,276 na pamilya mula Setyembre hanggang Disyembre 31, 2013.

Ang PhilHealth naman ay pumayag na bigyan ang Taguig City Government ng diskwento sa premium kung saan P400 lamang ang babayaran para sa bawat pamilya mula Setyembre hanggang Disyembre ngayong taon at P1,200 sa bawat pamilya sa taong 2013.

Sa simula ng taong ito itinaas na ng PhilHealth ang premium  nila para sa bawat pamilya sa P2,400 kada taon mula sa taunang P1,200 premium. Sa kabila nito, may alok ang PhilHealth ng 50 porsyentong diskwento para sa  mga mag-iisponsor ng  premium payments ng maralitang pamilya hanggang 2013.

Ang mga miyembro ng PhilHealth kasama ang mga umaasa sa kanila na saklaw ng sponsored program ay maaaring makakuha ng mga libreng  serbisyong medikal kung maku-confine sa mga government hospital na accredited ng PhilHealth.

Kasama rin sa maaaring makuha ay ang out-patient benefits sa mga health center gayundin ang pagkakaloob ng libreng gamut.

Sinabi ni Dr. Ramos na patuloy ang ginagawang survey at pag-aaral para matukoy kung sinu-sino pa ang maaaring mapasailalim sa PhilHealth sponsorship program ng lokal na pamahalaan.

Pinagtuunan ng atensiyon ni Mayor Lani ang pagpapabuti sa pagbibigay ng iba’t ibang health service sa mga Taguigueno. Sa ilalim ng kanyang panunungkulan ay nagawa niyang bigyan ng kumpletong bilang ng doktor, nurse at dentist ang bawat health center ng lungsod.

Sinimulan na rin niya ang iba’t ibang infrastructure project sa health sector kabilang ang pagpapatayo ng Taguig City emergency Hospital at ng “Super Health Centers” na magsisilbing maliliit na ospital na bukas para maglingkod araw-araw.