By Charissa Luci-Atienza
An opposition lawmaker is seeking the inclusion of an individual's Philhealth record in the proposed national health passport system.
Former Commissioner of the Philippine Competition Commission and Marikina 2nd district Rep. Stella Luz A. Quimbo (Photo from PHCC / MANILA BULLETIN)
Marikina Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo, a member of the House Minority bloc, made the call, as the Committee on Health, chaired by Quezon Rep. Angelina Tan vowed to tackle and pass House Bill No. 8 or the proposed "Health Passport System Act," principally authored by House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano.
"I think it is very important that the Philhealth records of the individual is also in that passport. As we know that is one of the obstacles to effective health coverage," she told the panel during the recent deliberations on the proposed eHealth System and Services Act of 2019.
"Only 50 to 60 percent of Philhealth members were actually in need of hospitalization actually get an approved payment as a result of information problems at the point of care," Quimbo said.
The Tan panel decided not to consolidate Cayetano's bill with the four bills seeking to establish the Philippine eHealth system and services using information and communications technology in the country to support the government's implementation of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law.
Cayetano's bill seeks to establish the national health passport system and strengthen the primary healthcare system.
The Department of Health (DOH) had rallied behind the passage of a bill seeking to entitle all Filipino citizens to a Health Passport, which will be used during medical and dental check-ups or treatment in government or private medical institutions.
DOH Assistant Secretary Dr. Enrique Tayag said they hailed Cayetano's bill, as it "engages the patient and empowers to take care of his health because he has now information in his hands."
He welcomed the panel's decision to process HB 8 separately from the four measures seeking to establish the Philippine eHealth system and services .
During the panel hearing on December 17, Tuesday, Misamis Occidental Rep. Diego Ty urged the Tan panel to pass House Bill 8 separately from all other bills.
The Tan panel initially consolidated Cayetano's bill with House Bills 61, 171, 665, and 4899 seeking to establish the Philippine eHealth system and services.
"We welcomed the endorsement of Congressman Ty regarding the bill sponsored by Speaker Cayetano that it will be separate," Tayag said.
"We can just put sections that these two bills are interrelated and shall align with the Universal Health Care," he said.
On October 16, 2019, a technical working group of the House Committee on Health, chaired by Nueve Ecija Rep. Maricel Natividad-Nagaño passed the bill upon the motion made by Anakalusugan partylist Rep. Mike Defensor, chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts.
Cayetano’s bill mandates the Department of Health (DOH) in coordination with the local government units (LGUs) to undertake the implementation of the National Health Passport System.
Under HB 8, the parents or legal guardian of children born after the effectivity of the proposed Act shall be required to enrol their children in the Health Passport Program.
The Health Passport shall be employed to record the child’s initial medical check up, including the necessary immunization, the bill provides.
In pushing for the passage of his bill, Cayetano stressed that medical record keeping plays an essential role in any healthcare system.