SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez and Voice Partylist Rep. Yedda K. Romualdez will ask the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to include in its free diagnostic package, the prerequisite tests for those suspected of being infected with tuberculosis.

The couple made the statement at a health caravan organized by Rep. Yedda and House Deputy Majority Leader and Iloilo 1st District Rep. Janette Garin where about 1,000 farmers and fishermen in Iloilo City were given medicines, check-ups and laboratory tests such as basic x-ray, blood work and others.

Speaker Romualdez said they will talk to PhilHealth President Emmanuel Ledesma to include the prerequisite test for suspected TB carriers in the free Konsulta package.

According to Speaker Romualdez, based on Garin’s statement, some individuals with TB were not given free medicine because they did not have preliminary kidney and liver readiness tests.

“Most of the time, suspected TB carriers have no means to have themselves tested for TB because of the costs it entails. According to Deputy Majority Leader Garin, ang nangyayari, hindi sila nabibigyan ng gamot kasi hindi nila mapa-test kung puwedeng tumanggap ng gamot ang kanilang kidneys at liver, tapos nakakapanghawa pa ng kapamilya o kapitbahay,” Speaker Romualdez said.

Rep. Yedda, a registered nurse, said that PhilHealth should include in its Konsulta package the creatinine and SGPT/SGOT tests, which according to Garin, a doctor, are needed by suspected TB carriers.

“This way, we can help more people get medical attention for a very communicable disease that can affect even children. We help the people who have TB and we prevent the spread of this preventable disease,” Rep. Yedda, chairperson ng House Committee on Accounts, added.

Earlier, Speaker Romualdez, Rep. Yedda Romualdez, and ACT-CIS Rep. Erwin Tulfo asked the PhilHealth to make mammograms and ultrasounds free for women suspected of having breast cancer.

PhilHealth approved their request and will now include it in the free Konsulta package. Meanwhile, the health caravan called Bantay Kalusugan with Ate Yedda was conducted at the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) in Tigbauan, Iloilo City.

“Our farmers and our fishermen are usually the ones who do not seek health services from the government, either because they live in far-flung areas or they don’t have the resources to take the time off and prioritize their health needs,” according to Rep. Yedda.

“This is why kami na ang pumunta sa kanila. We took a whole range of medical services and brought them closer to the people who need them. Abutin natin ang kaya nating abutin,” she added.

Aside from medical check-ups, the services provided by Bantay Kalusugan with Ate Yedda, also include basic x-rays, hepatitis screening, and blood tests for cholesterol, SGPT, SGOT, blood sugar, creatinine, and others.

The health caravan also distributed free medicine to individuals who underwent a medical checkup.