PhilHealth pledges better service, more benefits to members
OFFICIALS of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) gave their commitment to comply with the call of Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez to enhance their services and patients’ benefit package.
In the public hearing, PhilHealth president and CEO Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. said the agency is one with Speaker Martin when he says we have to aggressively and continuously increase the case packages of PhilHealth across the board.
It can be recalled that Speaker Romualdez has issued a directive to review PhilHealth’s charter to expand patient’s benefits, including early detection of cancer, and provide a more comprehensive healthcare coverage for Filipino patients.
Specifically, the Speaker sought an increase in benefits to cover at least 50 percent of costs in private hospital wards and the provision of free examinations for the early detection of deadly diseases, such as cancer.
Ledesma said as part of PhiHealth’s prime mandate they would have to increase the benefit packages to make things easier for the Filipino people to avail of healthcare services. The less out of pocket, the better for the country and the better for the health system of the country.
PhilHealth’s vice president Eli Santos echoed Ledesma’s statement.
“Mr. Chairperson, honorable members of the committee, with the leadership of our President and Chief Executive Officer, Emmanuel Ledesma, Jr., Philhealth, we will be able to fulfill and comply with the directive of our Honorable Speaker Martin Romualdez,” Santos said.