Parañaque City 2nd District Representative Brian Raymund Yamsuan is pushing for the swift passage of his proposed measure which aims to provide free annual medical checkups for every Filipino to save them from costly out-of-pocket medical expenses in the future.
Detecting and treating serious health conditions in their early stages through annual medical checkups will ensure better health outcomes and minimize risks of developing life-threatening, financially draining ailments for many Filipinos, Yamsuan said.
Yamsuan said his proposed Free Annual Medical Checkup Act under House Bill (HB)) 2239 will give every Filipino access to preventive healthcare, which, in the long run, also benefits the government in the form of reduced state-subsidized spending on expensive treatments for severe illnesses such as diabetes, kidney and heart diseases.
Yamsuan underscored the need for the swift approval of the measure owing to the continuing struggles many Filipinos face in paying for their medical expenses.
He commended the Department of Health (DOH) for exploring the possibility of providing better hospital accommodations for paying contributors of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (Philhealth) as part of the Marcos administration’s plan to expand the package of benefits for middle-income workers.
“This plan is laudable, and we hope that it will be implemented soon to include free annual medical checkups. Investing in this proactive measure to prevent diseases is better than prolonged and expensive hospital confinement for ailments which have reached their severe stages because they were left undetected,” Yamsuan said.
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said last week that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has instructed the DOH to review and expand benefits for middle-income workers who comprise the bulk of paying Philhealth contributors. Herbosa said Philhealth is eyeing better hospital accommodations and additional packages under the Zero-Balance Billing (ZBB) scheme as part of these expanded benefits.
Yamsuan said that while free medical consultations are now provided under the Yaman ng Kalusugan (YAKAP) program, this needs to be institutionalized through HB 2239 to ensure its sustainability and adequate funding under the national budget even beyond the term of the current administration.
He also noted that while the ZBB is already in place, its implementation still faces significant obstacles such as the lack of government-owned healthcare facilities and medical professionals manning public hospitals.
Yamsuan said his proposed Free Annual Medical Checkup Act under House Bill (HB) 2239 will give every Filipino access to preventive healthcare.
The Parañaque lawmaker cited an earlier statement of Secretary Herbosa who said that for every 1,000 people, only 0.5 hospital beds are available on average in the Philippines.
This ratio is way below the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation of 2 beds per 1,000 people, Yamsuan noted.
Moreover, Secretary Herbosa also acknowledged that in Metro Manila alone, the bed capacity is provided mostly by private hospitals, which outnumber the 17 DOH hospitals and four government-owned and -controlled hospitals in the National Capital Region.
“These realities demonstrate the challenges facing the effective implementation of the YAKAP, ZBB and other programs aligned with the UHC law. We need to come up with proactive measures while the government is still in the process of expanding our healthcare capacity,” Yamsuan said.
Through HB 2239, which was among the first bills filed by Yamsuan in the 20th Congress, Philhealth is mandated to establish a system for the regular scheduling and provision of free annual medical checkups for all Filipinos.
The free annual medical checkup benefit under the bill covers consultations, physical examinations, and routine laboratory and diagnostic tests such as blood count, lipid profile, fasting blood sugar, chest x-ray and urinalysis. The laboratory and diagnostic tests shall be expanded subject to the availability of Phillhealth funds.
Yamsuan underscored the need for the swift approval of the measure owing to the continuing struggles many Filipinos face in paying for their medical expenses. He cited as an example his home city of Parañaque, where residents go through the same challenges that many Filipinos encounter, such as the increasing costs of healthcare services and significant disparities in access to quality medical services.
