Iloilo city: The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) has successfully registered over 1.41 million members in the Western Visayas and Negros Occidental regions for the Yaman ng Kalusugan Program (YAKAP) as of the end of last month. This figure represents 17.21 percent of the projected 8.22 million population in these areas.
According to Philippines News Agency, YAKAP builds upon the previous Konsulta (Consultation) Program, offering enhanced primary care services. Members now have access to 75 essential medicines, 15 laboratory tests, and cancer screenings at no cost. PhilHealth Western Visayas Field Operations Division chief Junie Sabusap announced during a press conference that the initial target was to register over 1.3 million members from the region within the year.
The achievement of over 1.4 million registered members marks one of the highest registration figures among regions across the country. As of February 28, 119,123 YAKAP registered members have already experienced their first-patient encounter.
Sabusap highlighted the importance of the readiness of YAKAP facilities and the GAMOT program, emphasizing the establishment of supply and demand dynamics to encourage member engagement. The state health insurer has accredited 209 YAKAP clinics, 740 physicians, 80 Guaranteed Accessible Medications for Outpatient Treatment (GAMOT) providers, and 15 cancer screening test facilities to serve the registered members in the region.
Dr. Jennifer Go, Accreditation and Quality Assurance Section chief, explained that the GAMOT initiative aims to reduce out-of-pocket expenses for medications in outpatient disease management. Under the GAMOT package, each member and their dependents are allocated up to PHP20,000 for medicines. Go also mentioned the goal to expand access points through partnerships with pharmaceutical service entities.
Of the 80 accredited clinics, 23 are ready to dispense medicines based on their commitment, while the remaining are awaiting the testing of the GAMOT application. Sabusap announced that a simultaneous launch of the program is planned for May 1.
