Senator Christopher “Bong” Go on Wednesday, 18 December urged the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to conduct a comprehensive education and awareness campaign on its Konsultasyong Sulit at Tama (Konsulta) Package.

This comes in light of data showing that only five million Filipinos have availed of the PhilHealth Konsulta Package. This is a fraction of the total Philippine population targeted to benefit from this initiative in pursuit of providing preventive care for all Filipinos.

“Napansin ko, five million lang po ang nakakaalam. Iyong naka-avail, five million lang po. How about the other 100 million Filipinos? Dapat mapaintindi,” Senator Go said.

He also expressed his appreciation to PhilHealth for increasing the budget allocated to the Konsulta Package this year. PhilHealth raised the package’s coverage to PHP 1,700 from last year’s PHP 500.

Under the PhilHealth Konsulta Package, all Filipinos are eligible to avail themselves of consultation, health risk screening and assessment, selected laboratory and diagnostic tests, and specific drugs and medicines.

Go suggested that aside from raising awareness, more PhilHealth-accredited health facilities must be prioritized, especially in grassroots communities, to broaden access to the Konsulta Package.

As an example, Super Health Centers, which Go has consistently advocated for, are designed to focus on primary care, consultation, and early detection, further strengthening the healthcare sector in the country, especially in grassroots communities. Free consultations would be provided here by municipal health offices, local government units, and PhilHealth through its Konsulta program.

In a related development, the lawmaker from Davao City highlighted the plight of many Filipinos who are unaware of where to seek assistance for their hospitalization needs.

“Ang daming mga pasyente naghihingalo. Hindi nila alam kung saan sila hihingi ng tulong para sa pagpapa-ospital,” Senator Go emphasized.

As the Senate Chairperson of the Committee on Health, Senator Go’s priority remains ensuring that the government provides accessible and affordable healthcare services to every Filipino. He stressed the importance of minimizing healthcare expenses for Filipino families, especially the less fortunate.

As a committed health reforms crusader, Senator Go has consistently called on PhilHealth to utilize its funds more efficiently while supporting the agency’s efforts to secure sufficient resources to strengthen the country’s health sector.

“While we pointed out the agency’s lapses in not utilizing such funds more efficiently, I believe it does not give justice to deprive PhilHealth of the government’s subsidy,” Senator Go said, adding that it is the poor, the hopeless, and the oppressed Filipinos who will ultimately suffer without proper funding.

He has also been consistent in advocating that health funds must be used and allocated strictly for health-related initiatives.

“Sabi ko nga, dapat lessons learned na tayo sa naranasan natin noong panahon ng pandemya. Health must remain a priority! We should invest more in health. Katumbas iyan ng buhay ng bawat Pilipino,” Senator Go explained.