SEN. Bong Go, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, reminded the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) of its commitment to incorporate the Konsulta Program into the Super Health Centers’ services nationwide.
Go made the reminder during the Senate plenary deliberations on the 2025 budget for the Department of Health (DOH).
He emphasized that the initiative is essential to ensuring that public health services, particularly preventive care, consultations and checkups, are accessible to more Filipinos.
At the plenary, Go stressed the importance of PhilHealth’s commitment to supporting Super Health Centers’ accreditation under the Konsulta Program.
“I told PhilHealth to accredit these Super Health Centers because your funds are too much. Thank you, you raised it,” Go stated.
He underscored the critical need for public awareness: “So your information campaign is important now, that our compatriots should know that they can have checkups.”
Further, Go said that these Super Health Centers are the backbone of local health care accessibility, especially in underserved areas, with more than 700 of these centers funded in the last three years under the DOH’s initiative.
“For now, may we know how many Super Health Centers are planned to be built next year, in the fourth year, po? ” he said.
Sen. Pia Cayetano said that for 2025, 61 Super Health Centers are targeted for construction, with a budget allocation of P748 million.
Go asked how PhilHealth’s Konsulta Program could be made more accessible at the community level, especially through Super Health Centers.
He mentioned PhilHealth President Emmanuel Ledesma’s commitment to strengthening this process, explaining that, with partnerships between local government units (LGUs) and PhilHealth, the program could be more accessible to Filipinos who often don’t know where to seek health care services from.
Go asked how the Konsulta Program could be accessed in Super Health Centers and mentioned that PhilHealth President Ledesma promised that he would intensify the process; it is a partnership between the LGU and the health insurer so that those who do not know where to go for a checkup or consultation.
Senator Cayetano, who was sponsoring the health budget, provided an overview of the current reach of the Konsulta Program, noting that as of Aug. 31, 2024, there were 24.6 million registered beneficiaries.
She emphasized that this figure represents “less than one-fourth of the population,” and that significant progress is still needed to bring the program to the wider populace.
She elaborated on the infrastructure supporting the program, with “2,900 accredited providers” currently offering Konsulta services, though she noted the gap remains substantial: “So, there’s more than 80 million that need to be covered.”
This, she said, is part of a phased rollout approach, allowing the program to adapt and improve as it scales.
When asked if these numbers would be increased in the coming year, Cayetano said, “They intend to double this number for next year.”
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