Former House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano is urging the government to create a national health passport system that would go with the national identification system and help individuals easily access their health records.
“When the bill was new, it proposed a physical passport wherein your medical information and history are indicated. Every time you visit a health center, your passport would be updated in case you move to another barangay or doctor,” he said.
“Now that we have the technology with a QR code, there is no excuse for us not to create this system. This QR code could be found in your phone or you can have a physical copy,” he added.
He said he hopes that we could integrate that technology with the national ID system.
A conduct a house-to-house application for the national ID is practical, he added.
The system would not only provide the national government with a database containing the number of Filipino families per locality, it can also help individuals easily access their personal records and have an electronic account where the government can reach and transact with them.
At the same time Cayetano renewed his call for the establishment of the Department of Disaster Resilience (DDR).
Cayetano cited the country needed a department that would focus on rehabilitation efforts and boost the national government’s rehabilitation capacity.
“The point is our present set-up, where the Department of Health, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Department of Labor and Employment all respond to disasters, is not working because no rehabilitation efforts usually come after the relief,” Cayetano said.
Cayetano made the statement as the country marks National Disaster Resilience Month this July.
He was in Baguio City for the latest edition of the Sampung Libong Pag-asa live virtual program where he and his allies were set to distribute 10K Ayuda to a total of 500 beneficiaries.
“If you go to Agoncillo, Laurel, and San Nicolas in Batangas, you will find that many promises made in January last year have still not been delivered. We cannot also blame the DSWD because it is not only looking after one province but the whole country plus a certain sector that is vulnerable. And each time there is a typhoon it is also the one doing the work,” he said.
Cayetano noted that while the country has improved its relief efforts, much can be done on the rehabilitation side.
He said: “We do well on our relief efforts. For example, if in a fire incident three to four families were affected, then the local government unit and its officials would surely be able to provide for their immediate rehabilitation.
“But what happens if the same happens to 100 families? We might still have difficulty finding funds for their rehabilitation. So we still have to work on that.”
The DDR bill seeks to establish a focused and specialized single government agency that functions not only after the occurrence of disasters but works all-year-round to ensure that effective mechanisms for disaster risk reduction are in place even before a disaster occurs.
