Philhealth-CAR intensifies IEC for new and expanded health care packages

By Carlito C. Dar

Friday 1st of June 2012

BAGUIO CITY, June 1 (PIA) -- The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation(Philhealth)-Cordillera is intensifying its information dissemination of the expanded and improved health care benefits that await members this year following the implementation of case rate payment system to 23 primary medical and surgical cases in September last year.

Philhealth Cordillera Regional Office (PhRO-CAR) Information Officer Maggie Del Rosario, in an interview over PIA Hour radio program, Thursday, disclosed that through the leadership of PhilHealth President and CEO Dr. Eduardo Banzon, the case rate system will be expanded to more medical and surgical cases this year.

She also reported that more health care benefits await PhilHealth members such as the ‘60+ na Ako at Oks ang Bakuna Ko Laban sa Pulmonya’ – an anti-pneumonia vaccination package for PhilHealth lifetime members and the ‘Animal Bite Package’ which Philhealth rolled-out last May 15 and 18, respectively.

To ensure that Philhealth members know about these packages- who, what, how and when to avail the health care benefits, Del Rosario said PhilHealth is embarking on an intensified info campaign.

Aside from radio guestings, she disclosed that on Thursday, they conducted an orientation for all the provincial, municipal and city health officers in Cordillera, as well as heads and administrators of government hospitals and health facilities.

Today, PhilHealth, in coordination with the Department of Health (DOH-CAR) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD-CAR) is also conducting a re-orientation for RN HEALS (Registered Nurse for Health Enhancement and Local Service) and community health team members all over the region.

Meanwhile, Del Rosario reported that Philhealth hired nurses under its Philhealth CARES (Customer Assistance, Relations and Empowerment Staff) Project, who are going around the different hospitals to provide assistance to their members. Nationwide, more than 500 Philhealth CARES nurses were hired and for Cordillera, there were 18 who were hired for such purposes.

In another development, through the initiative of Banzon, Philhealth is also tapping social media networking for its IEC and advocacy. Banzon, in a statement, stressed that as the primary social health insurance provider in the country, PhilHealth recognizes the need to keep its millions of members here and overseas abreast with developments especially on the benefits they are entitled to using the Internet.

With this, members can now visit Philhealth at www.philhealth.com/philHealth and follow Philhealh on Twitter,@teamphilhealth for more updates. (JDP/CCD-PIA CAR)