36,627 Health Cards ready for Distribution

PROVINCIAL INFORMATION OFFICE
October 2, 2008

The provincial government is all set to distribute another 36,627 PhilHealth cards for the indigent families of Pangasinan from the third class municipalities.

The new batch of cards is in addition to the 26,005 PhilHealth IDs distributed by year end of 2007 covering the fourth and fifth class municipalities.

As of September 22, 2008 the provincial government has already enrolled 84,088.

“The governor wants the distribution to be made earlier but due to the huge volume of card production from Pangasinan, the printing machine of PhilHealth bogged down,” Provincial Population Officer Luzviminda N. Muego said.

“This is the first time that the province has enrolled a large volume of indigents,” she said.

Gov. Amado T. Espino, Jr. wants to enroll all indigent families of Pangasinan to PhilHealth to provide them ready access to public hospitals for free.

The governor is also renovating all the 14 government hospitals in Pangasinan to provide quality health care for all the people of the province especially the indigents.

Mrs. Muego explained that the true economic status of indigents was identified through the Living Standard Survey (LSS) designed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for the province of Pangasinan.

Scheduled to receive the PhilHealth IDs in the first district are: Bani, Bolinao, Dasol, Mabini, Sual; in second district: Aguilar, Binmaley, Bugallon, Lingayen, Mangatarem; third district: Bayambang, Calasiao, Malasiqui, Sta. Barbara; fourth district: Mangaldan, Manaoag, San Fabian, San Jacinto; fifth district: Laoac, Pozorrubio, Alcala, Bautista, Binalonan,; sixth district: San Manuel, Asingan, Balungao, Sta. Maria and San Nicolas.

It can be recalled that during the first Pangasinan Health Summit, European Community Ambassador Alistair MacDonald lauded Gov. Espino for enrolling the indigents to PhilHealth which he described as “the best way to reach out the needy which gives them a great privilege to have a free access to quality health care services and facilities.”

Likewise, USAID Philippines Office of Health Chief Aye Aye Thwin also commended the provincial government “for providing health services to the poor by enrolling indigents in the National Health Insurance Program, at the same time investing in hospital upgrades to make available to these clients quality medical care.”

PhilHealth assured that another batch of PhilHealth IDs will be released this week. (PIO/Ninia F. Nicolas)