PhilHealth distributes more cards to Palo residents

By Provincial Media Relations Center
June 30, 2011

PALO, Leyte  –  More and more indigent families in Leyte are enjoying hospital privileges through the PhilHealth cards sponsored by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) as it rolls out its second phase on health cards distribution.

PhilHealth recently distributed PhilHealth cards to residents of Brgys. Cavite West, Buri and St. Michael to further provide health services primarily to identified poor populace of the province.

According to PhilHealth-8 Executive Vice-President Walter Bacareza, these new round of PhilHealth card distribution is part of the 89,000 target beneficiaries they have identified for Leyte alone.

For this second round of health card distribution, Leyte has the highest number of identified poor families at 89,584.

Bacareza added that this complements well with the provincial government’s LGU-sponsored PhilHealth which has now reached to more or less 160,000 families in the province of Leyte. He likewise lauded the province of Leyte for initiating the highest number of covered indigent families.

“I know health services takes up to much in the LGU’s budget but we are glad that for Leyte, the governor is giving health (services) as its top priority,” Bacareza added.

Bacareza earlier revealed that as part of their effort to ensure a better service to their clients, they would soon launch a program wherein their agency would link with all PhilHealth accredited hospitals and rural health centers in the region.

He said that the program is set to be launched on July 5 with at least 47 government-run hospitals and 53 rural health units identified as their partners.

Meanwhile, Leyte Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla said that despite being a costly one, the provincial government of Leyte has decided to renew the thousands of families PhilHealth coverage considering that these cards has helped them a lot.