PhilHealth
CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) has issued accreditation to 12 barangay birthing centers in Cebu City.
With the accreditation, female residents will now have easy access to maternity and birthing services at reasonable costs, covered by health insurance.
The accredited centers are located in Barangays Talamban, Mabolo, Carreta, Guadalupe, Quiot, Inayawan, Pasil, Lahug, Cambinocot, Sudlon, Tejero, and Pahina San Nicolas.
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Dr. Daisy Villa, head of the Cebu City Health Department (CCHD), said via the ‘Patas sa Kahimsog’ teleradyo program that was aired over the Sugboanon Channel on Friday, February 16, that her office aims to have the other barangay birthing centers also accredited by PhilHealth as a means to improve health system and existing facilities.
“I-determine nato ang lugar kay kinahanglan daku-daku ang lugar, before ipa-accredit nato. Kung makaya nato to improve the health system and the facility itself, then why not?,” she said.
Barangay birthing center
Villa recalled that the idea of creating birth centers at the barangay level was conceptualized during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She recounted how many pregnant women were unfortunately denied entry to public hospitals because of the severe medical crisis faced at that time.
“We are trying to help the CCMC (Cebu City Medical Center) or Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) nga ma-lessen, ang dili angay sa hospital moadto sa health center,” she said.
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Villa is optimistic to see a drop in the number of patients who go to public hospitals as soon as barangay health centers become fully operational.
Electronic referral system
Moreover, Villa is also leading the effort for the establishment of an electronic referral system that will link CCHD, public and private hospitals, and the city’s 80 barangays.
Villa said that implementing this kind of a system would reduce the time needed to transfer patients who are in a ‘critical condition’ from the barangay to hospitals.
Furthermore, she emphasized that this approach will reduce the sheer number of non-emergency cases that hospitals receive, and instead, maximize the use of barangay health centers.
“Sa among multi-sectoral council meeting, we found out that daghang referral from the barangay but dili emergency, dili third level, para sa City Health ra unta o sa barangay health center,” Villa said.
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