The Department of Health (DOH) said that an assistance fund to provide support for cancer patients is now available in 31 hospitals across the country.
The Cancer Assistance Fund (CAF) “shall cover outpatient and inpatient services including but not limited to diagnostics, therapeutic procedures, medicines, treatment and management services, and other care-related components of cancer,” the DOH said in a statement on Monday, Nov. 14.
It is designed to “complement existing financial support mechanisms in public and private facilities,” the DOH added.
The DOH has identified priority cancer types eligible to be financed by the CAF. These include breast cancer, childhood cancer, gynecologic cancer, liver cancer, adult blood cancers, head and neck cancers, lung cancer, and prostate, renal, and urinary bladder cancers.
“To avail of the CAF, patients and/or carers must submit the requirements to identified access sites where CAF services are made available,” the DOH noted.
“Required documents including prescriptions, treatment protocols, and medical abstracts shall first undergo evaluation prior to approval and availment of services,” it added.
The CAF is available at the following hospitals:
- Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center
- East Avenue Medical Center
- Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center
- Rizal Medical Center
- Philippine General Hospital
- National Kidney and Transplant Institute
- Philippine Children’s Medical Center
- National Children’s Hospital
- Asian Hospital and Medical Center
- Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center
- Region I Medical Center
- Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center
- Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center
- Cagayan Valley Medical Center
- Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital
- Bataan General Hospital and Medical Center
- Dr. Paulino J. Garcia Memorial Research and Medical Center
- Batangas Medical Center
- Bicol Regional Teaching and Training Hospital
- Bicol Medical Center
- Western Visayas Medical Center
- Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital
- Western Visayas Center for Health Development
- Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center
- Eastern Visayas Medical Center
- Zamboanga City Medical Center
- Northern Mindanao Medical Center
- Davao Regional Medical Center
- Southern Philippines Medical Center
- Cotabato Regional and Medical Center
- Cotabato Sanitarium
The implementation of CAF was In line with the National Integrated Cancer Control Act (NICCA) and pursuant to Special Provision No. 13 of the DOH’s approved budget under the General Appropriations Act for 2022, the state health agency said.
“As part of our efforts towards realizing Universal Health Care, the CAF was developed and implemented to increase the accessibility of specialty cancer care services to many of our kababayans afflicted with this disease,” said DOH Officer-in-Charge Dr. Maria Rosario Vergeire.