ALL Filipinos may soon be able to receive an annual medical checkup for free under a bill recently approved on third and final reading by the House of Representatives.
This was expressed by Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund F. Villafuerte, one of the principal authors of House Bill (HB) 9072, or the proposed Free Annual Medical Check-up Act. Villafuerte said the measure provides that the annual medical checkup be given free of charge in any government hospital and institution.
“Every Filipino should be entitled to this medical service to ensure that the goal of the Universal Health Care (UHC) law of equitable access to quality health care is fulfilled,” the lawmaker added.
HB 9072, a substitute bill, was passed by the House before Congress’s sine die adjournment. The bill has already been transmitted to the Senate.
Under the bill, all Filipino citizens, by virtue of their membership in the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), shall be entitled to the applicable benefits under a Philippine Health Insurance Program.
PhilHealth membership is automatic under the UHC law.
The free checkup shall include blood sugar and cholesterol tests and can be expanded to include other laboratory tests subject to the availability of PhilHealth funds, according to the bill.
“To promote health, identify risks, and ensure early diagnosis, PhilHealth shall establish a system that allows access to a free annual medical check-up and ensure that Filipinos shall be accorded the quality health care services that they deserve,” the bill states.
The amount necessary for the implementation of the free medical checkup program shall be charged against the PhilHealth funds.
The Department of Health (DOH) shall, in coordination with PhilHealth, promulgate the necessary rules and regulations of this bill, also known as the “Free Annual Medical Check-up Act,” the bill states.
Villafuerte earlier welcomed the House’s final approval of a legislative proposal on the establishment of a Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), which has become even more urgent with the increasing Covid-19 cases.
The House recently approved on third and final reading HB 8999, or the proposed “Medical Reserve Corps Act.” Villafuerte was also one of the primary authors of the consolidated measure.
Under the bill, the MRC, which would be under the supervision of the DOH, shall be composed of the following: licensed physicians, including those who are no longer practicing in the hospital setting; licensed allied professionals; and, medical students who have completed four years of medical course, graduates of medicine as well as registered nurses.