Daily Tribune
Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) members may avail of up to P20,000 worth of outpatient medicines beginning 21 August.
PhillHealth Guaranteed and Accessible Medications for Outpatient Treatment (GAMOT) includes 75 types of free medicines with an annual benefit limit of P20,000 per beneficiary.
According to the state insurer, these medications are common treatments for a wide range of conditions, such as infections (anti-microbial), asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart conditions (cardiology), and nervous system disorders, along with other supportive therapies.
To avail of the PhilHealth GAMOT, members should be registered in their PhilHealth YAKAP Clinic of choice.
Following a thorough medical assessment, their primary care doctor will then issue a prescription containing a Unique Prescription Security Code (UPSC), as necessary.
The beneficiary, according to PhilHealth, can then proceed to any GAMOT Facility and show the prescription and present any government-issued ID.
Effective 21 August, the accredited GAMOT Facilities are as follows:
- Vidacure with branches in Muntinlupa and Quezon City
- Pharma Gen Ventures Corp (Generika Drugstore) with branches in Parañaque, Navotas, Quezon City, and Taguig
- CGD Medical Depot Inc. at Vertis North
- Chinese General Hospital
PhilHealth said it is actively expanding its network by engaging more partners to increase access for beneficiaries.
In Metro Manila, 24 other facilities have submitted their letter of intent to join the program.
PhilHealth President and CEO Dr. Edwin M. Mercado reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to provide access to a comprehensive set of cost-effective and quality health services.
"In 2023, we launched PhilHealth GAMOT, but it was only implemented in a few provinces. That's why this year, we expanded it," Mercado said.
"It is the right of every Filipino to have access to necessary medicines without having to bear heavy out-of-pocket expenses," he added.
Mercado also reminded all its members to keep their records updated to ensure seamless transactions when availing of benefits.
Meanwhile, Senator Christopher "Bong" Go lauded the state insurer for its newly launched PhilHealth GAMOT.
Go stressed that the PhilHealth GAMOT will serve as a huge help to the poor. The senator said he hopes that more GAMOT Facilities also be made available in Visayas and Mindanao.
"Every peso in the budget allocated for health is important to protect the health of every Filipino. Therefore, it should not be wasted and should be used to save the lives of our countrymen," the lawmaker said.
As Chair of the Senate Committee of Health and Demography and as part of his long-standing health reforms crusade, Go stressed the need to maximize the PhilHealth funds to ensure the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law is implemented in full.
Go earlier welcomed PhilHealth’s move to raise the E-Konsulta coverage from P500 to P1,700.
He also pushed for greater public awareness of PhilHealth membership, citing his filing of Senate Bill No. 170 to mandate the issuance of PhilHealth IDs.
The senator noted that currently, only 27.8 million out of 115 million Filipinos have registered for PhilHealth's E-Konsulta program.
"There should be an ID or tie it up with the National ID or even provide them a simple paper, have it laminated, give it to the patients. This would show that there's a PhilHealth that they can lean on when they get sick," Go said.
Earlier this month, Go reminded the government to ensure the implementation of zero balance billing in key public hospitals. He likewise called on PhilHealth to further expand its coverage and ease access to benefits.
"Let's use every peso wisely and correctly and return it to the poor patients. Health is equivalent to the life of every Filipino. The more we should invest in our healthcare system," he added.
The Senate Health Committee is set to hold its first public hearing for the 20th Congress on 20 August.
