A PARTY-list lawmaker on Friday disclosed the lack of accredited service providers under the Philippine Health Insurance Corp.’s (PhilHealth) Konsultasyong Sulit at Tama (Konsulta) package.
Rep. Ray Reyes of AnaKalusugan, vice chair of the House Committee on Health, said the number of healthcare service providers was not enough to cater to PhilHealth members who want to avail themselves of the program.
Citing data from PhilHealth, Reyes said as of March 31, 2023, only 1,931 of the required 5,014 Accredited Konsulta Providers have enrolled in the program.
“The service providers are too limited to cater to the sheer number of PhilHealth members. Hopefully PhilHealth steps up its recruitment and accreditation of service providers for its Konsulta Package program,” Reyes said.
Reyes said the PhilHealth’s Konsulta package is very important. “This project is of great help to our countrymen from far-flung areas that
have no easy access to primary healthcare,”
Under PhilHealth Circular 2020-0022, the Konsulta Package covers individual-based health services including initial and follow-up
primary care consultations, health screening and assessment, and access to selected diagnostic services and medicines.
“We want this initiative to succeed because it is fully in line with AnaKalusugan’s vision to make healthcare accessible to Filipinos,” he
said.
Reyes had earlier filed House Bill (HB) 430, which seeks to give Filipinos free annual medical check-ups. This includes blood sugar and
cholesterol tests.
“By providing free annual check-ups, we can identify ailments at the early stages before they get worse,” he added.