YAKAP CARAVAN IN CALAPE

PhilHealth focus on kid’s

Early disease detection

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA)—Because early disease detection and right mindset formation in young kids is an investment very few would venture into, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHEALTH) went out their way to bring its primary care services in the Yaman Ng Kalusugan Program (YAKAP) Caravan to Mandaug Elementary School in Calape for that.

No less than PhilHealth President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Edwin Mercado, led the team of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other allied medical professionals to render free consultations in line with its expanded Konsultasyong Sulit at Tama (KONSULTA) with its expanded services in YAKAP.

Today, ginawa natin ang YAKAP sa Department of Education (DepED) school because we see that it would be good to focus first on learners in their early age as this might manifest possible illnesses, where we can immediately map out our early intervention, Dr Mercado said amidst the bustle of people and medical professionals in the medical mission.

Consistent with “Prevention is better than Cure’ philosophy, the timely identification of health issues and their risk factors in their initial stages will allow health professionals to initiate prompt treatment, prevent serious complications, and aver death.

The Yakap Caravan started off with its Konsulta services: a primary care benefit package providing comprehensive outpatient services, including consultations, preventive care, basic diagnostic and laboratory tests, and case management for various conditions.

These benefits, mandated by the Universal Health Care Law, are provided by accredited Konsulta providers.

Konsulta offers free consultations for all members by primary care doctors in accredited primary health care facilities, and goes with free dispensation of 21 essential medicines and 13 essential laboratory services, he shared.

These medicines include “common treatments” for a wide range of conditions, such as infections, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart conditions, nervous system disorders, and other supportive therapies, plus laboratory services like CBC w/ platelet count, Urinalysis, Fecalysis, Sputum Microscopy, Fecal Occult Blood, Pap smear, HBA1C, Lipid profile (Total Cholesterol, HDL and LDL Cholesterol, Triglycerides), FBS, Oral Glucose Tolerance Test, Creatinine, ECG and chest X-Ray.

With YAKAP however, which is essentially the expanded Konsulta Package, are additional 54 medicines that can be accessed from pharmacies aside from the 21 essential medicines that can be accessed from Konsulta clinics, he explained.

And with Yakap, laboratory screening for cancer, mammogram, ultrasound for breast and liver, colonoscopy, and low dose CT Scan for cancer can be had in big established PhilHealth partner facilities.

We are here to engage more into PhilHelath members expanded primary health care,a dn yes, for the kids para po hindi maapektohan ang paglaki at pag-unlad ng mga kabataan, he added.

For the Yakap Caravan to advance primary health care, PhilHealth brought in to Calape its technical and communications teams bringing in satellite connection and YAKAP providers, even to geographically identified depressed areas. (PIA Bohol)

YAKAP SA MGA BATA. Philhealth CEO and president Dr. Edwin Mercado explains to President Ferdinand Marcos the YAKAP and the economy of investing in early disease detection while DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara listen during the Yakap Caravan in Mandaug, Calape, Bohol. (PIABohol)