Gov. Joet ramps up E-Konsulta listup

Bataan Gov. Jose Enrique S. Garcia III gathered last week chairpersons of committee on health of the province’s 11 towns and one city and Sangguniang Panlalawigan Board Member Jorge Estanislao in what appeared as a move to ramp up the enrollment of local residents to E-Konsulta, Philhealth’s comprehensive outpatient care scheme as mandated by the Universal Health Care Law.

The sharing of best practices in health care was encouraged among municipalities but the governor zeroed in on rural health units (RHUs) of different municipalities who were tasked to monitor listing of Philhealth beneficiaries. The target was to enroll 860,000 people– the total population of Bataan.

Former Board Member Godofredo Galicia, Jr., administrative consultant on health of the province, said the provincial government is fast approaching 50 percent of the total number of population. The RHUs had been closely coordinating with the community-based monitoring system (CBMS) for the electronic medical records of prospective Philhealth beneficiaries.

Lady Councilor Maya Bongco of Orani said the municipal government of Orani is still awaiting the opening of birthing center and super RHU. Earlier, Orani Mayor Efren E. Pascual, Jr. disclosed that of his town’s total population of 70,000 about 16,000 had been enrolled in E-Konsulta. In Samal town, the super RHU which is being readied for inauguration is in the process of completing its medical equipment. Already, the Samal RHU received a new patient transport vehicle from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and ultrasound machine from a Thailand food company.

In a related development, Galicia said the RHUs are now readying the rollout of vaccine against human papilloma virus (HPV) to keep genital wart and cervical cancer at bay. In Metro Manila, some private firms prioritize HPV screening over other cancer programs since majority of their employees are women.