Cagayan de Oro - More than 800,000 residents of Misamis Oriental could now avail of vital health and medical services in PhilHealth-accredited hospitals and other medical facilities after the provincial government increased its sponsored health insurance coverage to over 173,000 this year.
Dr. Ma. Lourdes Gaane, head of the newly-created Provincial Health Insurance Office (PHIO), said this year’s 173,367 PhilHealth ID cards that will be distributed starting on January 12 this year is 28-percent higher than last year’s 135,000.
“With an average household size of five, we shall have covered about 800,000 residents,” said Dr. Gaane, adding that her office has automatically renewed the PhilHealth ID cards that were issued last year.
She said enumeration of qualified residents, checking on double entries as well as on deaths of card-holders are routinely being done by the PHIO, an office which in the past five years was attached to the Provincial Health Office.
PHIO records show an uptrend of PhilHealth coverage from the time Governor Oscar S. Moreno launched the sponsored health insurance program in 2005 with 76,381enrolees province-wide. The following year, the number went up to 81,136 and in 2007 the figure hit the 100,000 mark. More than 20,000 enrolees were added in 2008.
Dr. Gaane said that the PHIO which is housed on the ground-floor of the PHO building is manned by 22 personnel and 25 coordinators in the 23 municipalities and two cities of the province.
She said the PHIO may eventually occupy the Rural Bank of Misamis Oriental building once it is vacated since the RBMO is currently constructing a new structure beside the provincial tennis court along Juan Luna Street.
The creation of the PHIO as a separate department of the provincial government--the first ever in the country—came about after the Provincial Board enacted Ordinance No. 1161-2009 in November last year.
“This is in support to Governor Moreno’s development agenda, particularly in institutionalizing a provincial health care and hospital system,” said Vice Governor Norris C. Babiera, presiding officer of the local legislative body.
Since 2005, the Moreno administration has been undertaking simultaneous rehabilitation of buildings, upgrading the facilities, and enhancing the medical personnel services of seven district/medicare hospitals that were renamed Misamis Oriental Provincial Hospitals last year. These provincial hospitals are located in Balingasag, Claveria, Gingoog, Magsaysay, Manticao, Naawan, and Talisayan.
Babiera recalled that during the deliberation of Ordinance No. 1161-2009 not one member of the Provincial Board expressed opposition to the measure, of creating a separate department to directly oversee the province’s health insurance program and in cognizance of its direct impact in the operation and maintenance of the provincial hospitals. [Uriel C. Quilinguing/Misamis Oriental Provincial Press Office]
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