PhilHealth services reach 80,000 PDLs

The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) will accredit 28 clinics of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) to improve healthcare services to more than 80,000 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) across the country.

The accreditation is provided under a memorandum of agreement (MoA) signed by PhilHealth acting president and chief executive officer Dr. Beverly Lorraine C. Ho and BJMP jail director Efren A. Nemeño last 5 October.

The MoA also will see the registration of the PDLs as PhilHealth members so they can avail of its YAKAP (Yaman ng Kalusugan program) benefits such as free consultation, free diagnostic tests and free medicines worth P20,000 per year.

Through the collaboration, both agencies aim to strengthen healthcare delivery in jail facilities and contribute to the realization of a more inclusive and responsive health system under Universal Health Care law.

“Universal Health Care means every Filipino, including those in detention. Through partnerships like this, PhilHealth is working alongside our fellow government agencies to make sure that no Filipino is left outside the reach of care,” Ho said.

“By ensuring the automatic enrollment of our PDLs under the National Health Insurance Program and facilitating seamless health care access across our facilities, PhilHealth has helped bridge long-standing gaps in public health service for one of our nation’s most vulnerable Populations,” Nemeño said.