The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) continues to provide accessible health care through its Konsulta Package program, as shared by Dr. Mary Antonette Yason-Remonte, Project Management Team head for Primary Care of the agency.
Launched in 2020, the Konsulta package offers free primary health care services to its outpatient registered members.
Dr. Yason-Remonte highlighted that as of 2023, PhilHealth has logged around 103.8 million members. However, with the implementation of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law, every Filipino is entitled to health benefits. The UHC Act of 2019 aims to provide the full range of access to health care whenever or wherever an individual needs it, without financial burden.
On the other hand, with the mission to achieve overall wellness, Dr. Victoria Lualhati, the chief executive officer of Medical City, discussed the topic of reducing the stigma associated with mental health.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said the most common stigma associated with mental illness is calling someone “dangerous,” “crazy” or “incompetent.”
However, Lualhati said that anyone who suffers from mental illness becomes dangerous only if it threatens someone’s life. And in addition to that, according Dr. Lualhati said people who suffer from mental distress need help and that reducing the stigma associated with it increases resilience.
In 2023, the Department of Health introduced the new PhilHealth mental health benefits package for outpatient services, which includes two components: General Mental Health Package, which provides P9,000 per person per year, and Specialty Mental Health Package worth P16,000 per person per year.
PhilHealth covers mental health conditions like dementia, bipolar disorders, schizophrenia and anxiety disorders.
WITH ADDITIONAL REPORT, The Manila Times, Claire Bernadette Mondares
