Acting Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) President and Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel R. Ledesma, Jr. said that cervical cancer would be included in the enhancement of selected Z Benefits packages for 2023.
Photo courtesy of PhilHealth Facebook
"We are determined to further enhance our benefits package to provide responsive coverage for our members and their dependents needing treatment. Cancer screening will be included under Konsulta [Konsultasyong Sulit at Tama] primary care package while the Z Benefits covers treatment for this type of cancer. This year, enhancement in select Z Benefits packages will include cervical cancer," he said.
This was in response to a report conducted by Professor Dindo Manhit of the Stratbase ADR Institute and other Cancer Societies and Cancer-free Movement, where they discussed "evidence-based and cost-effective interventions" that will help decrease the number of cervical cancer cases in the country.
Currently, PhilHealth has two Z Benefits packages that cover a complete course of treatment for cervical cancer in stages IA1, IA2, and IIA1.
It covers P120,000 for chemoradiation with cobalt and brachytherapy (low dose) and P175,000 for chemoradiation with linear accelerator and brachytherapy (high dose).
PhilHealth currently provides coverage for cervical cancer screening through the Konsulta primary care package and cervical cancer treatment through Z Benefits.
It has already dispensed P31 million worth of claims under the Z Benefit for said illness since 2015.
Cervical Cancer in the Philippines
As per the Department of Health's data for May 2023, 7,897 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, while 4,052 die from the disease.
Among the warning signs of this are abnormal bleeding or foul-smelling vaginal discharge, bleeding after sexual intercourse, persistent back, leg, or pelvic pain, and unexplainable weight loss.
To detect and treat cervical cancer early, the World Health Organization (WHO) suggested cervical cancer screening for women who are at the age of 30, but earlier for those who are sexually active.
WHO also recommended human papillomavirus (HPV) tests as part of cervical cancer screening, which is more cost-effective than cervical cytology or a Pap smear.
It was also noted that the primary target age of HPV vaccination, which is the first line of defense against cervical cancer, should be girls aged nine to 14.