Antique: The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC) Antique provincial office is set to ramp up its efforts to encourage more Antiqueños to engage with Konsulta package providers (KPPs) for their initial patient encounters. This initiative aims to enhance healthcare accessibility and preventative care in the region. According to Philippines News Agency, PHIC Antique provincial head Junie Sabusap announced during a Tuesday press conference that the office plans to implement more caravans across municipalities. These caravans are designed to register new members and facilitate the first patient encounter for existing members. Sabusap emphasized the importance of collaboration with accredited KPP doctors and nurses to ensure that registered members initiate their healthcare journey. PHIC Regional Office Public Affairs Unit head Janimhe Jalbuna highlighted that while Antique boasts 312,611 registered members, only 44,090 individuals have had their first patient encounter as of October 31, 2024. The init ial encounter is crucial for KPPs to gather baseline health data, which aids in preventing illnesses such as pneumonia by offering free consultations, medicines, and laboratory tests. Jalbuna pointed out that all 18 Municipal Health Offices and 10 government hospitals in Antique are accredited KPP providers. She noted that the region's health-seeking behavior might contribute to the low number of first patient encounters. Jalbuna urged media collaboration to spread awareness about the importance of these initial consultations. Furthermore, PHIC has already settled claims amounting to PHP33 million to KPPs in Antique for their services and provided medications, reinforcing the commitment to improving healthcare access and quality in the province.