Pangasinan's indigent families to get PhilHealth by 2013

By: Lilia Micua, Philippine News Agency
June 9, 2012 9:39 AM

InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan - The provincial government is set to enroll all indigent families in Pangasinan up to 2013 under the two-year locked-in program being offered by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).

Governor Amado Espino Jr. ordered town and city mayors to look for the genuine poorest of the poor in their areas that will be enrolled with PhilHealth.

He outlined his vision during a consultative meeting with mayors on Thursday at the Lingayen Resort Hotel that discussed PhilHealth enrollment under the sponsored program.

The meeting was held three days after Dr. Eduardo Banzon, PhilHealth president, came to Pangasinan to sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Governor Espino that extended the enrollment of 86,000 sponsored families under the two-year locked in program of PhilHealth.

The Governor urged all LGUs to come up first with the list of possible recipients deserving of the program that will be counter-checked with the data prepared by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) under their National Household Targeting System (NHTS).

This, he said seeks to avoid duplication of enrollment and bring about a systematic release among the identified indigents.

At the same time, Espino indicated that the provincial government of Pangasinan is wholly supporting the universal enrollment of all Filipinos to PhilHealth so that each one need not worry anymore when he or she gets sick.

Mayor Manuel Collado of Alcala said they (mayors) are all united with the governor "in his crusade to help ease the burden of the sick and the less privilege members of our society”.

Gov. Espino said that while he signed the MOA with PhilHealth President Banzon last June 4 that extended the coverage of beneficiaries under a two-year locked up scheme, all LGUs must also do all means to meet the deadline of June 30 given by PhilHealth to avail of the P1,800 annual premium per enrollee.

Thus, the Governor stressed the need to fix the list of enrollees to ensure that funds to be allocated will be properly used.

“We did all things to improve all our hospitals in Pangasinan. We made them look and smell good. All of them (hospitals) are now prepared facilities service-wise," Espino reminded the mayors.

He said what they ought to do now is to determine the real poorest of the poor Pangasinenses for them to avail of the basic health services and benefits "that we have prepared especially for them”.

Hearing this appeal, majority of the mayors agreed to set aside one percent of their annual city or town budgets will be allocated for PhilHealth enrollment.

Records showed total premium payments paid by the province to PhilHealth from 2007 to 2011 in behalf of sponsored indigents amounted to P121.58 million.

After 2013, the province’s premium payment will increase from P1,800 to P2,400 per sponsored family.