Manila: The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) is set to partner with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and local government units (LGUs) in Ilocos Norte to achieve its 100-percent membership coverage goal. To improve healthcare coverage in the province, PhilHealth will reach out to communities in collaboration with other government agencies to help in membership registration while ensuring accuracy, validity, and consistency of data.

According to Philippines News Agency, Eduardo Dulatre, PhilHealth chief social insurance officer in Ilocos Norte, emphasized the importance of this initiative. Republic Act 11223 mandates universal health coverage for all Filipinos. However, to avail of these benefits, registration with PhilHealth is necessary. Dulatre stated, "Based on our projection data, Ilocos Norte has 85-percent population coverage composed of members and their registered dependents."

To ensure that no one is left behind in the province in availing universal healthcare, Dulatre announced the agency's initiative dubbed 'Tan-ok ni Ilokano Towards Universal Health Care Coverage.' This program aims to implement a mechanism enabling all registered PhilHealth members to avail of services under the Konsultasyong Sulit at Tama (Konsulta).

The Konsulta package is a primary healthcare package designed to provide comprehensive and quality outpatient benefits. It focuses on protecting the health of every Filipino against chronic illnesses, preventing complications through early detection, and making drugs and medicines affordable. The package includes consultation, health risk screening and assessment, selected laboratory and diagnostic tests, and select drugs and medicines.