Category: General

MANILA: The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) has allotted PHP30 billion to enhance its benefit packages and provision of primary health care services to its members this year.

“Target po natin ay lahat po tayong Pilipino ay mabigyan ng access sa ating Konsulta [Konsultasyong Sulit at Tama] Package providers para manatiling malusog po tayong lahat (Our target is for all Filipinos to gain access to our Konsulta Package providers so we can all stay healthy),” PhilHealth’s corporate affairs group acting vice president Rey Baleña said in a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon interview aired over PTV 4.

“Hindi na kailangan magkasakit yung miyembro para magamit ‘yung PhilHealth benefit. Kung mayroon pong dinaramdam, ito po ay maagang made-detect at maaagapan po at ‘di na matutuloy sa magastos na gamutan (The member needs not be sick to use the PhilHealth benefit. If there are symptoms, these will be detected and cured early and will not result in expensive treatment),” he added.

PhilHealth accredited 2,61
1 Konsulta Package providers in 2023 which are mostly rural health units and health centers, infirmaries and primary health clinics, and some private clinics, Baleña said.

For members to avail of the Konsulta Packages, they must choose a provider from the list accredited facilities and register. After registration, they will undergo health screening and assessment where the health risks would be identified.

“Ang konsultasyon with a primary care physician ay walang bayad. May nakapaloob din dito na mga laboratoryo at mga gamot (The consultation with a primary care physician is free. There are also laboratories and medicines),” he said.

The 13 laboratory and diagnostic tests are complete blood count, urinalysis, fecal stool test, chest x-ray and lipid profile, among others.

The 21 drugs and medicines included are maintenance medicines for patients who have diabetes, hypertension and asthma.

The tests and medicines will be provided to the patients for free based on the recommendation of the Konsulta Package
provider.

This year, PhilHealth is working on the enhancement of its benefit packages for HIV patients, animal bite victims, tuberculosis, children under 5 years old experiencing severe acute malnutrition, children undergoing open heart surgeries, and malaria patients.

It also plans to increase its breast cancer package from PHP100,000 to PHP1.4 million, kidney transplantation (currently PHP600,000), cervical cancer package and prostate cancer package.

As for the free maintenance medicines, it plans to increase them from 21 to 53 drugs this year.

In 2023, PhilHealth increased the hemodialysis sessions from 90 to 156 for patients with stage 5 chronic kidney disease.

It also increased the benefit package for high risk pneumonia from PHP32,000 to PHP90,100; hemorrhagic stroke from PHP38,000 to PHP80,000; and ischemic stroke from PHP28,000 to PHP76,000.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: Hundreds of farmers in Albay town will soon benefit from a three-kilometer farm-to-market road project of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in partnership with Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda.

In an interview on Friday, Niriza Barquilla, DAR-Bicol assistant information officer, said at least 809 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) and non-ARB residents in three villages of Libon town will soon have easier access to the market when bringing their farm produce.

“The three-kilometer farm-to-market road will connect and benefit the villages of San Vicente, Niño Jesus, and San Ramon. The project will help our local farmers to transport their agricultural products in a more accessible way, from harvest to market, the freshness, and quality of the product will be preserved and ensured. The farmers can now sell their products at a much more reasonable price to the public,” she said.

Barquilla said the project is expected to start within this month after the groundbreaking ceremony last March 2.

“Under the agreement, the local government unit of Libon shall ensure that during the construction, at least 50 percent of the ARBs, including the out-of-school youth, will be hired as laborers,” she added.

Barquilla said the project is in line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to extend the necessary support services to farmers to revitalize the country’s agriculture sector by improving the flow of food supply.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Hanoi: Vietnam has made strides in women’s empowerment, said Pauline Tamesis, UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam and Caroline Nyamayemombe, Representative of UN Women in the country in a joint article entitled ‘Invest in women: Accelerate progress’ on the occasion of the 114th International Women’s Day.

Le Thi Ha Giang, a young entrepreneur, is working hard to integrate digital skills in her business to keep up with the transforming society. As one of the 60 trainees of the Empower Her Tech Programme by the United Nations Development Programme, she learnt website building, digital design, using generative AI, and other digital skills which will help her grow her business in the future.

Mi has never felt this confident or respected in her life – she is now the main breadwinner in the family, despite having fallen victim to human trafficking. It became possible with the help of the International Organisation on Migration, with support from the UK Government and collaboratively with reintegration partners from
the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, who provided Mi with three female goats – a source of food and additional income – and facilitated her societal reintegration.

These stories demonstrate that women, given the opportunity, are eager to work hard to change their lives for the better.

According to the UN officials, Vietnam has made strides in women’s empowerment. Legislation, including the Gender Equality Law and special 35% candidate quota for women in the National Assembly, enabled legal and policy environment to drive investments for women’s empowerment. Efforts are showing results with the country climbing 11 places on the latest World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index, rising from 83rd to 72nd place out of 146 countries. Vietnam at over 70% female workforce participation rate, counts as one of the highest in the world and, with 30.26% women representation in parliament, Vietnam exceeds the global average of 25.5%.

Nevertheless, like elsewhere in the world, women still face barri
ers to equal opportunities in education, employment, and access to leadership positions. Ethnic community and disabled women especially stand out. Party bodies and People’s Council include only 6% and 7.3% female ethnic group members respectively, compared to male ethnic cadres at 36.1% and 39.0%. While Vietnam is on a good track at other levels, more work is needed at the commune level where only 22% of women are part of the commune People’s Committees.

“Looking back at the achievements of the past 29 years of implementing the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action on women’s empowerment and nearly 40 years since adopting the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women in 1981, we can draw some critical reflections to accelerate progress for women,” they said.

Increasing women’s leadership across public and private institutions improves institutional performance. Up to 80% of top businesses with good results and stable operations during COVID-19, listed on the Ho Chi Min
h Stock Exchange, were led by females, while only 26.5% of business owners and CEOs in Vietnam are women. Moreover, women’s leadership and participation in key institutions is essential to combat bias and stereotypes and build public trust. By 2030, 70% of the State management agencies are expected to have at least one woman in a leadership role.

Strengthening quality education for women and girls and ensuring equal access to leadership training, career development, and funded programmes, particularly in STEM, is a key to successful digital transformation. The proportion of female graduates completing tertiary education in STEM fields in Vi?t Nam is 36.5%. Polytechnic University has over 78% male students compared to 22% female students. Since 75% of jobs globally will be related to STEM by 2050, targeting gender equality in STEM education would prevent growing imbalances that may be exacerbated by digital transformation.

While women are hard workers and are as competent as men, they are still paid less tha
n men. Globally, women earn 77 % of what men earn. Gender-responsive social protection systems that ensure equitable access and support for women and girls in poverty are sorely needed. These systems help address income disparities, improve education and health outcomes, and prevent gender-based violence.

“These also promote access to decent work and facilitate the transition from informal to formal employment for women,” stated the article.

Innovative financing solutions lift women and girls out of poverty. Ensuring that public resources are allocated and spent to respond to the needs and demands of women and girls will guarantee about 230,000 poor households in rural area with housing support by 2025 – Vietnam has clearly demonstrated this through its National Target Programme on New Rural Development. A compact of innovative financing mechanisms to increase investments on health, education, infrastructure to make social protection services reach those furthest behind will unlock greater economic prosperi
ty for the country.

The United Nations Secretary-General reiterates that ‘we must invest in programmes to end violence against women, and to drive women’s inclusion and leadership in economies, digital technologies, peacebuilding and climate action.’

Reflecting on this year’s theme for International Women’s Day, ‘Invest in women: Accelerate progress,’ underscores the importance of empowering and supporting women to drive societal advancement.

“Mi and Le Thi Ha Giang’s stories tell us that the future can and must be brighter,” they concluded./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

MANILA: Women entrepreneurs take center stage as the country celebrates National Women’s Month with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Negros Oriental pushing priority services and programs for every ‘Juana.’

‘Serbisyo Para Kay Juana’ and ‘Juana Make a Mark’ are just two of the priority programs being pushed by the agency to pay tribute to the contribution of women in economic development, DTI-Negros Oriental spokesperson Krystle Jade Bato said in an interview Friday.

‘Juana’ is the female counterpart of Juan dela Cruz, a Spanish name for St. John of the Cross used to refer to anonymous Filipinos.

‘Serbisyo Para Kay Juana’ is a priority lane for women who will apply for business names.

On the other hand, “Juana Make a Mark” is a trademark incentive program of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) for entrepreneurs who would like to register for a trademark, she added.

Priority is given to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that are either led by females or with
a majority workforce of women, Bato said.

Eligible MSMEs could apply for patent, copyright, or trademark under the ‘Juana Make a Mark’ at a discounted price.

‘A women-led MSME is asked to pay only PHP1,480 when their design or trademark has been approved by IPOPHL,’ Bato said.

A regular filing fee is over PHP4,000.

As of March 8, which is celebrated worldwide as International Women’s Day, some 40 women have already applied for and availed of these services at the DTI main office in this capital city.

Those living in towns and cities may proceed to Negosyo (Business) Centers to avail of the same, the DTI spokesperson said.

Bato said DTI and other government agencies are making sure that the needs and requirements of women entrepreneurs are met and that they are not left behind in the competitive world of business’.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The historical island city of Lapu-Lapu opened Friday its first dialysis center serving the locals suffering from chronic kidney disease.

Following the opening of the 15-bed-capacity center, Mayor Junard Ahong Chan said his constituents would no longer need to cross mainland Cebu to get their hemodialysis sessions.

The center has 15 dialysis machines that can serve 45 patients daily.

The 24-hour daily operation will be administered by two doctors, four nurses and two technicians based on an eight-hour shifting.

The city government entered into a public-private partnership (PPP) with EasaCare Medical and Dialysis Center to make the center operational.

Isabel Abello, chief executive officer (CEO) of EasaCare, and Lapu-Lapu City lone district Rep. Cynthia King Chan, on Friday visited the center during its grand opening.

The congressional district office shouldered the medical assistance and dialysis sessions for the indigent residents of Lapu-Lapu City.

‘Right now, we can allocate PHP110,000 per (
kidney) patient per year,’ King Chan said.

Before undergoing a hemodialysis session, the patient must first go to Lapu-Lapu City Hospital for a laboratory test for endorsement to the dialysis center.

Meanwhile, Mayor Chan said the national government is set to release PHP50 million monthly allocation intended for free medicines for indigent patients.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The soon-to-rise Philippine Cancer Center could prevent the death of thousands of Filipinos due to the dreaded disease.

To be built on a 5,000-square-meter lot inside the Philippine Blood Center complex along Quezon Avenue in Diliman, Quezon City, the 20-story center is envisioned to be a modern teaching and research hospital, with each floor focusing on different types of cancers: hepatic, renal, gastrointestinal, lung, breast, women reproductive organs, skin and even rare cancers.

It will be comprehensive — from diagnosis, treatment, research, to patient support.

Cancer remains the second leading cause of death among Filipinos, next to heart disease, based on the January to September 2023 records of the Philippine Statistics Authority.

In a separate report by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, the country has 25,000 cases of cancer every year, with at least 9,000 dying annually.

The center is in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s mission to provide Filipinos with comp
rehensive, affordable and accessible healthcare, according to the groundbreaking ceremony’s guest of honor House of Representatives Speaker Martin Romualdez.

‘Ito po ang misyon ng Pangulong Marcos Jr. Ito ang misyon na pinagtutulungan nating bigyan ng buhay ngayong araw (This is the mission of President Marcos. This is the mission that, together, we are working on to put into reality),’ he said in his speech on Friday.

He said the center is the government’s response to not only decrease mortality and morbidity but also to lessen the incidence of preventable cancers.

‘Our aim is to transform cancer from a death sentence into a manageable condition that, when detected and treated early, can be overcome. We want to ensure strategic alignment with national cancer control plans, make treatment more equitable, affordable, and accessible, and improve the overall experience of cancer care for patients and their families,’ Romualdez added.

He said the Cancer Center would be both a ‘sanctuary for healing and hope’
and a testament to the ‘collective resolve against cancer.’

The building of a specialized cancer facility ‘marks a milestone not just in the history of healthcare in our nation but in the lives of countless Filipinos whose battles against cancer have been long and arduous,’ he added.

‘Together, let’s build a future where cancer is no longer a feared enemy, but a challenge that, with compassion, dedication, and innovation, we can overcome,’ he said.

The center would also include housing facilities for relatives of cancer patients caring for them, and for doctors in the provinces who undergo training in the cancer hospital.

The Cancer Center will complete the medical complex built during the Marcos Sr. administration, where specialty hospitals are located close to each other: National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Philippine Heart Center, Lung Center of the Philippines and Philippine Children’s Medical Center.

Source: Philippines News Agency