Bong Go urges PhilHealth to promote, improve services
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After bringing up the tragic case of a certain Walter, who racked up P10 million in medical bills that the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) only covered around P60,000 of, Senator Christopher "Bong" Go cited another case study during his 27 August privilege speech to illustrate gaps in PhilHealth policy and coverage.
He brought up the case of a pregnant woman in Cebu who tragically lost her life, along with that of her unborn child, after choosing to give birth on the street due to her inability to afford hospital care.
"Meron ngang nai-report na buntis sa Cebu na tumangging magpadala sa ospital at piniling manganak sa kalsada dahil walang perang pambayad. Namatay po ang ginang at ang kanyang sanggol," Go narrated.
Go stressed that had the woman known about the healthcare services available to her from the government, their lives could have been saved.
Go underscored the importance of promoting government health programs more effectively to prevent avoidable tragedies. He also questioned why, despite the billions of pesos in PhilHealth funds that currently lie unutilized, patients continue to suffer, unable to afford medical care.
"Ang tanong ngayon ng ating mga kababayan – Bakit bilyon-bilyon ang naka-tenggang pondo ng PhilHealth kung marami pa ring pasyente ang naghihingalo at walang pambayad sa ospital? Bakit marami parin ang hindi nagpapa-konsulta, takot magpa-ospital o magpa-tingin sa doktor?" Go asked.
He further questioned the adequacy of PhilHealth’s benefit packages, highlighting the ongoing issue of out-of-pocket expenses that force patients to sell assets or incur debt to pay for hospital care.
"Bakit kulang pa rin ang benefit packages ng PhilHealth at may out-of-pocket o dumudukot pa rin sa sariling bulsa ang mga pasyente? Alam kong alam niyo yan. Pag na-admit po kayo ngayon, bubunot pa iyong iba, nagsasangla ng bahay, binebenta yung kalabaw, sinasangla yung refrigerator," he added.
Moreover, Go criticized the persistent issue of unpaid hospital bills, which not only affects patients but also puts a financial strain on healthcare providers.
"Bakit may mga ospital pa rin na hindi nababayaran ng PhilHealth?" he asked.
Go also called on PhilHealth to take immediate action in improving their services: “Patuloy ang panawagan natin sa PhilHealth to increase case rates coverage, expand program benefits, suspend premium rates increase, scrap the single period of confinement policy, and stop the transfer of their funds to the National Treasury.”
"Mr. President, ika nga, aanhin mo pa ang damo kung patay na ang kabayo? Hindi katanggap-tanggap na may pondong natutulog lang po na hindi nagamit para matulungan ang bawat Pilipinong miyembro naman po ng PhilHealth," Go concluded.
