PhilHealth and the Tan Yan Kee Foundation, Inc. recently partnered for the PhilHealth Card Distribution Project. The effort directly addresses the need of the less fortunate to avail of treatment and services for health problems that are otherwise unaffordable to them. The partners aim to provide PhilHealth membership which have not been accessible to them yet.
Initially covered during the distribution from July to October of this year were areas in Northern and Southern Luzon provinces and the Visayas. 1,949 recipients in Ilocos Sur, La Union, Abra and Occidental Mindoro who are farmers, 104 from Sta. Fe, Nueva Vizcaya, and 206 from Leyte are now PhilHealth members.
Initially covered during the distribution from July to October of this year were areas in Northern and Southern Luzon provinces and the Visayas. 1,949 recipients in Ilocos Sur, La Union, Abra and Occidental Mindoro who are farmers, 104 from Sta. Fe, Nueva Vizcaya, and 206 from Leyte are now PhilHealth members.
PhilHealth Social Insurance Assistant II Amarte Escala explained how the project helps indigent recipients. “The project will help the indigent people in a way that they will be able to utilize the benefits provided by the PhilHealth, considering the fact that they don’t have enough resources in financing all the expenses whenever an unexpected health problem comes up. This will also enable the members to feel that they are not ignored despite their economic status and instead, they will be determined to strive for the betterment of their lives.” He adds that “as long as the members are aware of the benefits and programs provided by PhilHealth, there will be a continuous impact on their lives when it comes to utilization and sustainability of the project.” He also foresees that eventually, even without TYKFI resources, members will “find a way to sustain the project initiative because they would realize the good effects they recognize from the project.” In Sta. Fe, Nueva Vizcaya families of students and pupils in Barangays Baliling, Villaflores, Sinapaoan, Balete, Poblacion, Tactac, and Buyasyas have been encouraged by the support of TYKFI especially because TYKES has opened a door for education to the young. Thus, the project with PhilHealth further boosts support for well-being and a better life. In Leyte Barangays Abuyog, Alang-Alang, Burauen, Calubian, Dagami, Palo, San Miguel, Sta. Fe, Tabontabon, Tanauan, and Villaba families of pupils and students were also thankful for the essential tool for health care. Sharing the thoughts on the PhilHealth Card Distribution Project of TYKFI and PhilHealth are the following. “The project will help us a lot especially when it comes to hospital bills because I have to admit the fact that we are poor and we cannot afford to cover the expenses. I am so thankful to the Tan Yan Kee Foundation for providing us Philhealth and I pray to God for more success of the Foundation so they could help more indigent people like us. I can see that the project will be useful and effective. Considering our poverty, it is difficult for us to earn a living and we have to wait for harvest time to have something to spend. Since our source of income is farming, I ought to be responsible to save even a small amount whenever harvest time comes. In such simple way, we can sustain the project because I believe it is better that we allot something for the future than to have nothing in times of emergency.”— Susan Ferreras, farmer’s wife “There is no actual negative factor that could possibly affect the program since Philippine Health Insurance Corporation aims to provide health insurance to the needy especially the farmers. Factors like poverty and incapability of the indigent people contribute mainly to the conduct of the program. There are plans like PCB (Primary Care Benefit 1) wherein clinics will be established near the place of the indigent people for them to utilize the equipment in case of emergency. This program aims to expand the number of services as well as increase the utilization rate for services for PhilHealth members. Monthly orientation via media are being given to the Philhealth members for them to be aware of the benefits and services that they can have as members. PhilHealth believes that through proper orientation and awareness of the program, PhilHealth members will be determined to continue what is being started and definitely will find a way to sustain the program once they experience the benefits of being a PhilHealth member.”—Francis Canosa, Chief Local Health Insurance Officer “The Foundation is happy to provide you with a one-year membership at PhilHealth. We hope that for the span of one-year you will be able to save in order to sustain your membership.”— Philip Sing, TYKFI “Malaking tulong sa pagkakasakit.”— Celestino de Leon and Elma Peralta “Makakamenos ng gastos especially in cases of emergency.”— Jovel Cauan “Most of these recipients are new PhilHealth members.”—Joseph Arthur Guerrero, Social Insurance Officer III, PhilHealth “It is the first time here in Nueva Vizcaya that a private organization sponsored a “PhilHealth membership” for the indigents.”—Aldwin Ordones,PhilHealth Orientation Trainor “We are grateful that the Tan Yan Kee Foundation is here helping the Department of Education not only in terms of education but also for our health welfare. To parents, it is our responsibility to send our children to school. We will now have a healthy family with this PhilHealth Membership.”—Sarah Apurillo, Ph.D., CEO IV, Schools Division Superintendent, Leyte |