THE Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), through its Social Health Insurance Academy and in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd), developed a Learners’ Material for 10th Grade Health in public schools to promote understanding of the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) as a health care financing mechanism for Filipinos.
The PhilHealth Learners’ Material, certified by DepEd’s Bureau of Curriculum Development as compliant with the K-12 curriculum standards, is taught under the Health component of the Music, Arts, Physical Education, and Health (MAPEH) subject of tenth graders during the first quarter of the school year.
PhilHealth and DepEd entered into a memorandum of agreement for the nationwide rollout of the PhilHealth Learners’ Material, defining the roles of the two partners in strengthening health information and education among Grade 10 students and teachers in public schools beginning school year 2017-2018.
Implementing the use of the learners’ material involves orienting Grade 10 Health teachers on the National Health Insurance Program and training them on how to use the PhilHealth Learners’ Material. PhilHealth also monitored and evaluated the initial teaching of the Learners’ Material by some of the trained teachers to assess its effectiveness and determine possible enhancements.
In Central Visayas, the Mandaue City Schools Division responded first to PhilHealth-7’s invitation for orientation and training and became the pilot implementer of the PhilHealth Learners’ Material in the region back in June 2017. Not to be outdone, the Lapu-Lapu City Schools Division followed suit July that same year.
According to Mandaue City Schools Division education program supervisor and awarded outstanding teacher Niño Matillano, “PhilHealth Learners’ Material is really very informative not just for the students who might just have heard a little about PhilHealth but also to the teachers and administrators alike.”
Matillano urged other public schools to work together and partner with PhilHealth in becoming channels and advocates of positive information.
“PhilHealth has always been our partner in helping our people in more ways than one. Let’s all do in a concerted effort to perpetuate the good intentions that our government wish to carry out,” he said.
In fact, at the end of the training Matillano wrote a pledge of commitment encouraging his fellow teachers in the schools division to recite, ending with the promise “to give unselfishly our time and effort, and energy to integrate and promote the PhilHealth services in our Health curriculum, with confidence.”
This year, PhilHealth-7 oriented both teaching and nonteaching personnel of DepEd on the NHIP, and trained tenth grade MAPEH or Health teachers on the use of the PhilHealth Learners’ Material in the schools divisions of Carcar City (Cebu) and Dumaguete City (Negros Oriental) in May, in the Siquijor schools division in June, in the schools divisions of Bohol and Guihulngan City (Negros Oriental) in July, and in Danao City (Cebu) schools division in August. Talisay City (Cebu) schools division is set to undergo the same orientation and training this November 16.
Feedback from DepEd has been encouraging for PhilHealth. “It is very important to our learners, especially with the Grade 10 students at the age of 15 to 16. They were equipped with the knowledge about the health services of PhilHealth. They can help in disseminating the awareness and the knowledge about the services to their parents, friends, and to the community,” explained Carcar Central National High School MAPEH teacher Courtney Sebial. /PR