By Filane Mikee Cervantes
MANILA – The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) on Friday assured that the agency would have significant accomplishments that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. could report to the public in his upcoming State of the Nation Address (SONA).
During the groundbreaking ceremonies of the Philippine Cancer Center, PhilHealth president Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. said several reforms have been implemented in the agency that will benefit its members and address the healthcare of all Filipinos.
“I’ve assured the First Lady and the President just last week, that in the upcoming SONA, a lot of accomplishments will come from PhilHealth and the Department of Health,” he added.
Among the reforms, he said, is the agency’s increased coverage for cancer patients, particularly the increased “Z-benefit” package for breast cancer patients from PHP100,000 to PHP1. 4 million.
Ledesma said once the Philippine Cancer Center becomes operational, PhilHealth will immediately work for its inclusion in its list of contracted partners so that “Filipinos may avail of these life-saving packages.”
“Let me assure you that PhilHealth will maintain its commitment to battle cancer at every step. We are one with the Philippine Cancer Center’s mission of bringing hope to every Filipino in the fight against cancer,” he said.
The allocation for the center’s fixed assets and critical services was made through the House Committee on Appropriations as part of the mandate of Republic Act (RA) No. 11215 and the Resource Stratified Framework set by the National Integrated Cancer Control Council.
Ledesma also thanked Speaker Martin Romualdez, who led the groundbreaking event, for giving the full support of the House of Representatives in PhilHealth’s endeavor to provide more services to Filipinos.
“I’d like to think we were able to move forward substantially, and with the 24/7 never-ending support and help of our dear Speaker Martin Romualdez, we continue to do so,” he said. (PNA)
