SEN. Bong Go on Friday called attention to the need for a more robust public information campaign about PhilHealth benefits and services.
Many Filipinos remain unaware of the health care benefits they can access through PhilHealth, as mandated by the Universal Health Care (UHC) law, stressing the importance of ensuring that all Filipinos are informed about their entitlements, particularly during critical situations — childbirth, hospitalization and emergencies.
“There is the program, there is the law, there is the service that Filipinos should get from PhilHealth, but many of our compatriots still do not know about it or do not benefit from it,” Go said in Filipino.
Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go (Voltaire F. Domingo/Senate Social Media Unit)
“We need a stronger and more effective information campaign on the benefits Filipinos can get from PhilHealth,” he added.
Go raised this concern amid reports about the tragic case of a pregnant woman in Cebu who died after choosing to give birth on the street due to financial constraints and fear of not being able to afford hospital care.
“It’s sad to hear incidents like this, like what happened in Cebu. If only the lady knew there was medical assistance that could be obtained from the government for hospitalization. The mother and infant son would have been alive today,” Go said.
He pointed out that the billions of pesos in unused PhilHealth funds should be used to improve their services and raise awareness of the benefits available to Filipinos.
During his recent privilege speech in the Senate, Go reiterated his earlier calls for significant improvements in several key areas of PhilHealth’s services, including increased subsidies for common yet critical treatments such as dialysis and expanded coverage for severe illnesses.
“Our reminder to PhilHealth: Use the allocated funds for the health needs of Filipinos. The fund for health should be used for health,” he said.
Go particularly outlined four critical areas of reform, including the lowering of premium contributions, increasing case rates, expanding benefits packages, and eliminating the Single Period of Confinement Policy.
Go has continued to appeal for PhilHealth to use its available funds properly.
He expressed concerns over the planned transfer of P89.9 billion in excess PhilHealth funds to the National Treasury, questioning the morality of using health care funds for non-health-related projects. This is part of PhilHealth’s P500 billion reserve funds that remain unutilized.
“We will not stop investigating the ongoing transfer of PhilHealth’s P89.9 billion surplus funds back to the National Treasury. This is part of the P500 billion reserve fund that is dormant, even as the number of poor patients in need of government assistance continues to increase,” he added.
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