HEALTHCARE. Pangasinan Governor Ramon Guico III (left) interacts wtih an elderly patient at the Urdaneta City District Hospital on Sept. 10, 2024 during the turn-over of additional machines and equipment to the hospital. The Provincial Board approved on Monday (Sept. 16, 2024) an ordinance creating a program that incentivizes Pangasinenses who enroll in Philippine Health Insurance Corporation’s Konsultasyong Sulit at Tama outpatient program to ensure that they have access to proper health care. (Photo courtesy of Province of Pangasinan)
LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – The Pangasinan provincial government has allocated PHP300 million for a program aimed to encourage as much as 650,000 residents to have themselves checked by medical professionals.
Governor Ramon Guico III, in a statement Wednesday, said the Provincial Board approved last Monday an ordinance creating the Government Unified Incentives for Medical Consultations (GUICONSULTA) Program and the allotment of the budget.
Under the program, Pangasinenses who are members or beneficiaries of members of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) need to enroll in the agency’s Konsultasyong Sulit at Tama (Konsulta) before they can avail of the cash incentives.
Registration may be done through self-registration via the members portal at www.philhealth.gov.ph or at any PhilHealth local insurance offices in their area.
Konsulta is a comprehensive outpatient benefits mandated by the Universal Health Care Law, and provides free access to medical consultations, health risk screening and assessment, selected laboratory and diagnostic testing, and selected drugs and medicines in line with patient’s pre-existing condition.
Each PhilHealth member and their beneficiaries are entitled to PHP1,700 Konsulta benefits annually.
All 14 government-run hospitals in Pangasinan are accredited Konsulta providers, Guico said.
According to a report by the Provincial Hospital Management Services Office (PHMSO), only around 28,000 Pangasinenses are enrolled in the 14 government hospitals for the Konsulta program as against the 2.5 million PhilHealth members in the province as of July 31 this year.
Guico, in an interview, said preventive care is the most cost-effective measure than curative care.
“Many people avoid hospitals and only go when they're very ill, which makes treatment more expensive. Our new ordinance, the Pangasinan Government Unified Incentives for Medical Consultations, aims to encourage regular checkups using the PhilHealth Konsulta program,” he said.
Guico said the provincial government is also upgrading facilities and acquiring new equipment, including an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), seven computed tomography (CT) scan machines, 19 X-ray machines, and 22 ultrasound machines for the 14 provincial hospitals.
Additionally, the province has purchased four hectares of land for a new community hospital in Umingan and two hectares in Tayug to expand the Eastern Pangasinan District Hospital. (PNA)
