OZAMIZ CITY, Misamis Occidental (PIA)—The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth)-Ozamiz City highlighted its 28th anniversary with the blessing of its new office site at the YPE Building, Purok 1, Lam-an, Ozamiz City, here, February 16.

With the theme, "Pinalawak at mga Bagong Benepisyo para sa Mamayang Pilipino," members can expect new programs from PhilHealth.

This includes the mental health package, the outpatient package for children under 5 with severe acute malnutrition, the case rate package, the improvement of the Z benefits package, and the increase in the number of outpatient hemodialysis sessions from 90 to 156.

"Nais natin palawakin ang benepisyo para sa mga miyembro pero itong benipisyong ito ay mababalewala kung hindi niyo kami tutulungan. Tutulungang ipaalam ang mga bagong impormasyon sa mga kababayan natin dito sa inyong lugar sa Ozamiz dahil at the end of the day, kung sila po ay nagkasakit at naospital hangad nang PhilHealth na sila po ay matulungan para magkaroon nang kabawasan sa mga gastusin," Philhealth-10 Regional Vice President Delio A. Aseron II said. 

(We want to expand the benefits for all the members, but we need your help for these benefits to work; otherwise, they will be just ignored. Help us disseminate the new information to all the Ozamiznon because at the end of the day, if they get sick and are hospitalized, PhilHealth wants them to be helped and to have a reduction in their expenses)

Aseron also assured that Philhealth will continue to provide good and quality service to its members. 

"Asahan niyo sa aming 28th celebration of PhilHealth patuloy ang pagbibigay namin ng dekalidad na serbisyo, kahit anuman ang isyung ipukol, ang lagi kong sinasabi sa aking kasamahan sa PhilHealth-10 dapat tuloy lang ang pagbibigay ng maayos at dekalidad na serbisyo dahil sa pamamagitan niyan dyan makikita ng ating mga stakeholders, diyan unti-unting maibabalik ang tiwala ng mga miyembro natin," he said.

(Expect that in our 28th celebration of PhilHealth, we will continue to provide quality services, no matter what the issue is. What I always tell my colleagues in PhilHealth-10 is that we must continue to provide good and quality services because through that, our stakeholders will see, and that's where the trust of our members will gradually be restored)

Through the Universal Health Care law, members can choose their Konsulta provider and avail of the benefits such as consultations, health screening and assessment, laboratory tests, and drugs and medicines available to all Filipinos anywhere in the country. 

Patuloy po aming pakikipag-ugnayan na mas marami pang primary care providers ang ma-accredit para bawat isa na kababayan natin ma-assign sa pinakamalapit o kanyang pipiliin kung saan siya magpapakonsulta para wala ng kababayan natin mamamatay na hindi man lang po nakapagpatingin sa isang doctor," Aseron added.

(We will continue to communicate that more primary care providers will be accredited, so that each of our compatriots can be assigned to the nearest, one of his choice, where he will consult, and no one of our compatriots will die without ever seeing a doctor)
Aseron's marching order is that members feel the importance of their health.

"Ako ay naniniwala na ang tunay na yaman ay ang pagkakaroon ng maayos na kalusugan, health is an equalizing factor, bata, matanda, mayaman, mahirap," he added.

(I believe that true wealth is having good health, health is an equalizing factor for young, old, rich, and poor). (SMRN/PIA-10/Misamis Occidental)