Oroquieta City, Misamis Occidental – A Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program cited the benefits of being a member of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and urged her fellow cash grantees to also avail of the health package to help them meet their medical needs, when needed.
Rizalyn Real, of this city, is thankful that her 16-year-old son, Jokring, who underwent a bone surgery in a government hospital, was able to avail of PhilHealth benefits.
“Wala po akong binayaran pagkatapos ng operasyon (I did not pay a single cent after the operation),” Rizalyn said.
Partnership
In 2012, DSWD and PhilHealth partnered to provide health care for the poor. Some 14.7 million indigent individuals aged 21 and above identified through the DSWD’s Listahanan database of the poor are now Philhealth card holders. Of the total, 3.9 million, Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries are enrolled under the Philhealth program, as of March 2014.
Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries are afforded with PhilHealth coverage as Sponsored Members.
Help in times of needs
She recalled that Jokring had an accident during one of his basketball games with his friends. He fractured his arm and was advised to undergo an operation to attach a steel plate on his broken bone.
Being a low-salaried utility worker, Rizalyn was reluctant to bring her son to the hospital since she knew she could not afford to pay for the hospital bill, let alone for a bone surgery operation that costs far more than what she earns.
“Pero may nakapagsabi sa akin na may PhilHealth benefits daw ang mga benepisyaryo ng Pantawid Pamilya. Dinala ko na rin siya sa ospital kaysa makita ang anak ko na hirap na hirap (But someone had informed me that Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries can avail of Philhealth benefits. I then brought him to the hospital rather than just see him in so much pain),” Rizalyn said.
She said that she only presented her son’s birth certificate and her Pantawid Pamilya identification card to the hospital’s admission office.
“Sinabi nila na gagaling daw ang aking anak (I was assured then that Jokring is going to be okay),” she added.
Rizalyn could not describe how relieved she was when the hospital staff told her that everything has been taken care of. She did not need to pay anything for her son’s operation.
“Dapat ay mga P25,000 ang aking babayaran para sa operasyon lang, pero dahil ako ay Pantawid Pamilya beneficiary, ay wala akong binayaran (I could have paid more than P25,000 for that surgery alone, but because I am a Pantawid Pamilya beneficiary, I was exempted from paying),” Rizalyn said.
Today, Jokring is doing fine and is back in school.
A mother’s love and responsibility
Rizalyn’s family is a Pantawid Pamilya beneficiary since 2009, receiving P800 monthly for one of her children’s education and health.
For five years, Rizalyn has been attending the Family Development Sessions (FDS) required by the program.
FDS is a regular gathering of Pantawid Pamilya parent-leaders where they discuss parent effectiveness, home and financial management, values formation, and disaster preparedness, among others.
Attendance to the FDS is one of the conditions of the program that beneficiaries should comply. The other conditions are sending children to school, and bringing them to health centers for check up.
The FDS is a unique feature of Pantawid Pamilya. Other countries implementing the program do not have this as one of their conditions.
According to her, she learned from the FDS that being a mother is more than just feeding her children, but rather being there to provide social, emotional, and spiritual support as well.
She said that the well-being of her children is paramount.
Rizalyn also shared that she is supportive of Jokring’s dream to go to college, get a good-paying job, and someday be able to buy their own house.
“Kaya nga sinisigurado ko na lagi siyang pumapasok sa paaralan. Tinuturuan ko din siya at ang kanyang mga kapatid sa kanilang mga aralin. Sa ganitong paraan, naniniwala ako na papalapit din siya sa kanyang mga pangarap (I make sure that he continuously attends his classes and help him and his siblings study their lessons. I believe that each day, his dreams get closer to becoming real),” she stated.
“Kaya ko ang pagbabago. Sa tulong ng gobyerno ay maitataguyod ko ang pag-aaral, kalusugan, at kapakanan ng aking mga anak (I can change for the better. With the help of the government, I will be able to support the education, health, and secure the future of my kids),” Rizalyn ended. ###
