PAGCOR, PCSO tinintahan ang guidelines para sa pagpopondo sa Universal Health Care

SINABI ni Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) na lumagda ito sa isang joint circular kasama ang Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) ukol sa pagpapatakbo ng kani-kanilang alokasyon para pondohan ang Universal Health Care (UHC).

Ang circular, kung saan nakadetalye ang operational guidelines para sa PAGCOR at PCSO para mag-remit ng pondo sa General Appropriations Act (GAA) bilang National Government Subsidy para sa improvement ng benefit packages, ay nilagdaan nina PAGCOR chairman at CEO Andrea Domingo at PCSO Chairperson Anselmo Simeon Pinili.

Sa ilalim ng UHC law or Republic Act 11223, kalahat ng share ng national government mula sa kinikita ng PAGCOR at maging ang 40% ng chairty fund ng PCSO ay gagamitin para pondohan ang universal health care program.

Ang UHC law, nilagdaan ni Pangulong Rodrigo Roa Duterte noong Pebrero 2019 ay ” automatically enrolls all Filipino citizens, including overseas Filipino workers, in the state social health insurance PhilHealth, which will have expanded coverage to include free consultation fees, laboratory tests and other diagnostic services.”

Ang pagpopondo para sa nasabing benefit expansion ay ipalalabas sa PhilHealth sa pamamagitan ng GAA sa pagsisimula ng taong 2023.

“PAGCOR remitted P65.55 billion to the National Treasury from 2019 to 2021 alone, with 50 percent allocated to PhilHealth to fund the UHC law,” ayon kay Domingo.

“This means we have already given almost P33 billion for healthcare from 2019 to 2021, and I think it would greatly help the UHC program now that consultations for primary care will be shouldered by PhilHealth,” dagdag na pahayag nito.

Para naman kay Pinili, sinabi nito na ang UHC remittance guidelines nanilagdaan kapuwa ng PAGCOR at PCSO ay “jointly seek to provide mechanisms for transparent, accountable, timely and sustainable fund provision for benefits improvement of the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP).”

“With our sustained funding support for Malasakit Centers and the Universal Health Care, the PCSO Board hopes to make our state-run lotteries closer and relevant to the lives of the Filipino people, in support of President Rodrigo Duterte’s vision and initiatives to make health for all Filipinos a reality,” ayon kay Pinili.

“Among the benefits that will be improved in consultation with PAGCOR and PCSO include select medical and surgical procedures; expansion of case rates for hemodialysis up to 156 sessions; enhancement of benefit packages for selected orthopedic implants, post kidney transplant, breast cancer, prostate cancer, cervical cancer, open heart surgery for children; and physical medicine and rehabilitation,” ayon sa PAGCOR. (Daris Jose)