The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), together with the Department of Health (DOH) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), officially launched on Tuesday its new benefit package to combat malnutrition of Filipino children at their developmental stage.
Called “Outpatient Therapeutic Care for Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM),” the benefit package covers anthropometrics and clinical assessment, counseling, follow-up visits, and other commodities. It is available through select PhilHealth-accredited facilities.
Beneficiaries will receive P7,500 for children under 6 months old and P17,000 for children aged 6 months to 60 months.
UNICEF Philippines Representative Oyunsaikhan Dendevnorov noted this initiative is the world’s first SAM primary care and social health financing package funded through national health insurance.
Meanwhile, PhilHealth Chief Emmanuel Ledesma highlighted the negative effect of severe malnutrition on children’s cognitive development.
“Severely malnourished children of school age develop substantial cognitive deficits that result in grade repetition. Even if they survive into adulthood, they are far less likely to be employed in the formal sector and of nowhere earning potential, conditions that further perpetuate the cycle for their own children,” Ledesma said.
“In short, malnourished children are less likely to perform well in school, less likely to go on and be productive in the workforce, and more likely to be trapped in the cycle of poverty,” he added.
