Benguet: The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) has initiated the enrollment of elementary school learners and their parents into its Konsulta program at Puguis Elementary School. This initiative aims to provide primary and preventive healthcare services to students and their families.
According to Philippines News Agency, Noemi Gri±o, a mother of two pupils at Puguis Elementary School, registered her Grade 1 child during an off-site registration event at the school. Following the registration, her child was able to receive a dental check-up. Gri±o expressed her appreciation for the program, highlighting its benefits in addressing the healthcare needs of students. She also registered herself to avail of free health consultations, laboratory tests, and medications if necessary.
Nolang Sabling, the acting chief social insurance officer of PhilHealth-Benguet, explained that the program is a collaborative effort with local schools, the Department of Education, and rural health units (RHUs). The goal is to ensure the registration of more PhilHealth members into the Konsulta benefit package across all schools in Benguet. Konsulta provides registrants with access to preventive check-ups, laboratory tests, and free medications through their chosen Konsulta providers.
Sabling emphasized that the Konsulta program is part of PhilHealth's commitment under the Universal Health Care Law to promote good health among Filipinos. Registrants can utilize the program as needed to maintain better health conditions without affecting their eligibility for other PhilHealth benefits such as in-patient or outpatient hospitalization.
The Konsulta package includes 13 laboratory procedures and 51 selected medications available for free to registered patients. Sabling noted that the program aims to eventually include all Benguet residents, with a current target of enrolling 460,000 individuals. While about 95 percent of Benguet residents are registered with PhilHealth, not all are yet enrolled in the Konsulta program. There are currently 17 registered Konsulta providers in the province, including the 13 RHUs, Benguet General Hospital, Cordillera Hospital of the Divine Grace, Camp Dangwa Hospital, and Lutheran Hospital in Buguias town.
