SAN JOSE, Antique – The Philippine Health (PhilHealth) Insurance Corporation called on persons with disabilities (PWDs) in this province to enroll their memberships with the Department of Health (DOH) and PhilHealth so they could avail themselves of insurance coverage.
Junie Sabusap, PhilHealth-Antique head, said on Tuesday that registered PWDs will automatically be covered with subsidized medical care and other benefits.
He added that a resolution sponsored by Provincial Board member Mayella Mae Plameras-Ladislao requires all local government units including the barangays in the province to conduct and make a proper data profiling of PWDs to be incorporated in the DOH registry and PhilHealth in compliance with Republic Act 1128, an Act Providing PhilHealth Coverage for all PWDs and requiring them to register for data profiling.
To assist PWDs in the registration, the resolution mandates Barangay Health Workers to assist the chairperson of the barangay council committee on health and social services to initiate and conduct the profiling of the PWDs in their barangays and furnish the list to the municipal council, the DOH, Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office under which is the Provincial Disability Affairs Office (PDAO), and PhilHealth.
In a separate interview, PDAO head Paolo Castillo said they had been assisting the PWDs to register online at the DOH.
“I also really encourage PWDs to register with the DOH so that they could avail of the insurance coverage,” he said.
Based on registration, Antique has 8,592 PWDs who mostly have orthopedic problems.
“Only about 1,031 of the PWDs in the province are employed, with most of them relying on their families for their needs,” he said.
He said the insurance coverage would be a big help for the PWDs particularly in case of confinement in hospitals. (With a report from PNA/PN)
