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A pro-health congressman is batting for an improved national program against tuberculosis (TB) by seeking amendments to Republic Act (RA) No. 10767 or the Comprehensive Tuberculosis Elimination Plan Act.  

AnaKalusugan Party-list Rep. Ray T. Reyes filed House Bill (HB) No. 9799 for this purpose. Incidentally, Sunday, March 24, was World Tuberculosis Day. 

"The previous global pandemic has highlighted that a lot of healthcare policies need to be updated and future-proofed. TB has been a public health emergency for over three decades, yet we are nowhere close to its eradication," Reyes said. 

"This bill aims to improve healthcare delivery systems that are continuous and can withstand external threats," he noted. 

Reyes, a vice chairman of the House Committee on Health, noted that only eight countries account for two-thirds of the global cases of TB. 

He said the Philippines contributes seven percent of the global cases. He also lamented how TB remains one of the leading causes of death in the Philippines, with an average of 70 deaths daily. 

"These numbers prove that there is a need to revisit the existing legislation regarding the Philippines' response to TB," Reyes said.  

Currently, TB patients can avail of the PhilHealth Konsulta package which is a primary care benefit package that provides capitation payments for annual checkups, selected diagnostics, and medicines. 

“Through the urging of Congress, Philhealth recently approved an increase in the fee or capitation rate of PhilHealth Konsulta to P1,700 per patient per year. However, this is hardly enough,” Reyes said. 

Under HB No. 9799, the convergence of TB services and strengthening of service delivery network is given priority.  

The measure also encourages private sector participation by recognizing corporate social responsibility (CSR)-related initiatives for TB elimination.  

"Tuberculosis is an issue that involves different sectors and we cannot emphasize enough the importance of a holistic approach and collaboration in the fight against TB," Reyes said.