Launched in 2020, PhilHealth’s Konsulta goals to advertise early sickness detection, and provide inexpensive medicine
For a lot of Filipinos, the promise of Common Well being Care (UHC) represents a future the place entry to high quality well being care companies is not a privilege however a assured proper. For the reason that enactment of the Common Well being Care Act in 2019, the nation has made important strides, together with the rollout of PhilHealth’s outpatient package deal, the Konsultasyong Sulit at Tama (Konsulta) program. But, a lot work stays on the street to totally attaining UHC – there’s a must develop the community of accredited Konsulta service suppliers and improve communication efforts to make sure that suppliers and beneficiaries are totally knowledgeable about these important companies.
To take the lead in addressing these gaps and assist PhilHealth in increasing the implementation of Konsulta, the Unilab Middle for Well being Coverage (UCHP) of the Unilab Basis convened over 70 stakeholders from PhilHealth, NCR metropolis well being places of work, non-public suppliers, and affected person teams on September 13 in a roundtable dialogue titled “Working In direction of UHC’s Complete Outpatient Profit Bundle.” Via this collaborative platform, UCHP launched the Konsulta Handbook of Operations (MOP), a guidebook for healthcare suppliers and Native Authorities Items (LGUs) to streamline the implementation of PhilHealth’s Konsulta.
“All of us have a singular alternative to deal with the challenges of main well being care, which has been characterised as fragmented, uncoordinated, and remoted,” stated Unilab Basis government director Atty. Jose Maria Ochave. “On this roundtable dialogue, we are able to take small, but deliberate and regular steps that can advance the ‘well being for all’ promise of Common Well being Care,” he added.
Paving the best way for a complete outpatient profit package deal
As a rustic accustomed to fee-for-service healthcare, Filipinos typically search medical consideration solely when confronted with severe well being points. PhilHealth’s Konsulta is shifting this mindset by selling the significance of proactive healthcare by means of its complete outpatient advantages program. Konsulta goals to make sure equitable entry to high quality and inexpensive healthcare for all Filipinos whereas defending them towards monetary dangers.
Launched nationwide in 2020, Konsulta goals to reinforce well being by stopping persistent sicknesses, selling early detection, and providing inexpensive drugs. Via Konsulta, Filipinos can register with accredited suppliers to entry a spread of companies together with consultations, well being threat screenings, 15 laboratory assessments, and 21 important medicines.
With over 2,600 accredited private and non-private main care services as of April 2024, the Philippine well being system continues to be struggling to satisfy the best ratio of 1 facility for each 20,000 Filipinos. This discrepancy highlights a broader situation: whereas applications like Konsulta have the potential to remodel healthcare entry within the Philippines, their constant and efficient rollout requires extra than simply the efforts of PhilHealth. Authorities companies, native governments, non-public establishments, and communities should work collectively to make sure no Filipino is left behind.
A guidebook for Konsulta
PhilHealth has already made important progress in its rollout of Konsulta. In its dedication to additional enchancment, PhilHealth engaged in an open dialogue with private and non-private Konsulta suppliers, LGUs, and affected person teams, which revealed the challenges encountered within the implementation of Konsulta. Amongst these are difficulties with navigating funds, facility accreditation and affected person registration, sufferers’ unfamiliarity with the significance of this system, and the necessity for clearer processes and higher data dissemination.
“The Unilab Middle for Well being Coverage believes in PhilHealth’s Konsulta, which is why, when it was launched, one in every of UCHP’s first precedence initiatives was to develop the Handbook of Operations for the Konsulta package deal,” said UCHP program director Ruben Basa.
The Handbook of Operations, authored by physician-leaders Dr. Maeda Gonda and Dr. Shirley Domingo, is a complete guidebook that goals to deal with implementation challenges by offering a transparent, step-by-step information on key features corresponding to membership registration, supplier accreditation, and social mobilization. Moreover, the Handbook of Operations covers sensible features of the Konsulta program, together with advantages availment, supplier billing, fee processes, and data methods, to foster a extra structured and environment friendly strategy.
“Our high precedence is the comfort of our suppliers, our finish customers, and our directors. They should perceive easy methods to go about Konsulta—from the necessities to the precise implementation of this system,” stated Dr. Gonda.
Change in progress
The trail in the direction of Common Well being Care within the Philippines will not be excellent. It’s simple to see solely the bumps within the street as we expertise new healthcare challenges every day. Nonetheless, if we assess the incremental enhancements now we have achieved by means of collaboration, corresponding to PhilHealth’s implementation of Konsulta, the way forward for Philippine healthcare seems to be extra promising.
Dr. Israel Pargas, Senior Vice President and Spokesperson of PhilHealth, additionally shared plans for the way forward for Konsulta.
“Beginning new issues is all the time onerous as a result of it’s a change. And that’s what PhilHealth and the DOH are doing by means of Konsulta,” stated Dr. Maria Eufemia Yap, member of the UCHP Advisory Council. Dr. Yap emphasised that the important thing to seeing the glass half full lies in efficient communication. With the joint contributions of private and non-private suppliers, LGUs, and well being leaders who perceive their communities greatest, they’ll additionally assist PhilHealth by conveying the federal government’s UHC efforts in a manner that resonates with the individuals they serve.
Via the Konsulta Handbook of Operations, the monetary evaluation framework, and strengthened collaboration amongst stakeholders, the Unilab Middle for Well being Coverage reaffirms its dedication to serving to PhilHealth develop Konsulta’s attain. Collectively, these efforts goal to advance Common Well being Care and construct a more healthy, future-ready Philippines. – Rappler.com
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