Tagbilaran parents and students get free checkups,

medicines at Handog ng Pangulo site

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA)—Trinidad Castro Saguirel, 40, and her Grade 1 child, who both have a cough, received a medical checkup and free medicines at a government health service site in this city on Sept. 14.

Saguirel also received an anti-pneumonia vaccine.

“Daku kaayo akong pasalamat nga naka-avail ko sa mga services sama sa anti-pneumonia vaccine. “Ber” months na baya pod ron, uso napod ang ubo (I am very grateful that I was able to avail myself of services like the anti-pneumonia vaccine. It is already the "ber" months, and coughs are common again),” said Saguirel, a resident of Purok 3, Barangay San Isidro.

Saguirel was among the parents and students served during the Handog ng Pangulo activity, where the Department of Health (DOH), the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and other government agencies brought the Yaman ng Kalusugan Program (YAKAP) and other health services to schools and workplaces.

About 100 students and 100 parents from selected schools under the Department of Education (DepEd) Tagbilaran City Division availed themselves of the services.

Ma. Theresa Abella, head of the PhilHealth Local Health Insurance Office (LHIO) in Talibon, said Handog ng Pangulo has two types of activation sites: workplaces and schools.

She said DepEd Region 7 identified Dr. Cecilio Putong National High School (DCPNHS) as this year’s host school.

Abella said PhilHealth, through 257 YAKAP clinics and their partner Guaranteed and Accessible Medications for Outpatient Treatment (GAMOT) providers, offered the following services at all Handog ng Pangulo sites: member services, YAKAP clinic selection and registration, consultations, free medicines through GAMOT and assistance with Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) registration.

The PSA also offered national ID registration, while the DOH provided free consultations, medicines and flu vaccinations.

A similar activity was held simultaneously in Cebu. (ECB/PIA7-Bohol)

The “YAKAP na Handog ng Pangulo” program was held at Dr. Cecilio Putong National High School (DCPNHS) in Tagbilaran City on September 14, 2026. Spearheaded by PhilHealth, the initiative brought services—such as YAKAP clinic empanelment and registration, medical consultations, access to free medicines through GAMOT, and assistance with Philippine Statistics Authority registration—to 100 students and 100 parents. (ECB/PIA7-Bohol)

Bohol patients needing bone implants can

tap PhilHealth coverage of up to P260,000

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA)—Patients in Bohol who need hip or knee replacement or surgery for a broken bone can get help with implant costs from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).

The provincial hospital in Tagbilaran is one of only two in Central Visayas that offer the benefit.

PhilHelaht and orthopedic specialists explained the coverage called the Z Benefit for Selected Orthopedic Implants, at a press conference on Sept. 11 at the Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Medical Center (GCGMMC) Auditorium in Tagbilaran City.

The package covers implants for hip and knee replacement, hip fixation, fractures of the hip, thigh and shin bones, and fractures of the arm, forearm and wrist.

Coverage ranges from P100,000 for pinning of the arm and forearm to P260,000 for a cementless total hip prosthesis. Knee prosthesis coverage is P251,000.

PhilHealth contracts accredited Level 2 and Level 3 hospitals that apply as providers and meet the agency’s standards for equipment, qualified orthopedic specialists, and support services.

As of Sept. 11, there were 27 contracted providers nationwide, according to PhilHealth. Two are in Central Visayas: GCGMMC in Bohol and Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) in Cebu.

“We are thankful to PhilHealth for their support and the hip and knee society made up of these dedicated doctors," said Dr. Michael Muñoz of Philippine Orthopedic Association (POA).

Dr. Herminio Valenzuela of the Philippine Hip and Knee Society (PHKS) said the work of PhilHealth and the Department of Health (DOH) is moving toward inclusive healthcare, in which quality and affordable care is treated as a basic right rather than a privilege.

Officials from PhilHealth Regional Office 7, led by Acting Regional Vice President Jenet Ann Advincula, joined representatives of the POA, PHKS, and GCGMMC at the event.

Members of the local media and the Association of United Development Information Officers (AUDIO)-Bohol attended.

The press conference was part of a nationwide roadshow by the POA and PHKS on modern hip and knee replacement techniques and recent developments in orthopedic surgery. (ECB/PIA7-Bohol)

Through a collaborative partnership involving the Philippine Orthopedic Association (POA), the Philippine Hip and Knee Society (PHKS), the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), and the Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Medical Center (GCGMMC), a press conference was held at the GCGMMC Auditorium in Tagbilaran City on September 11, 2026. Attended by members of the local media and the Association of United Development Information Officers (AUDIO)-Bohol, the event was part of a nationwide roadshow by the POA and PHKS on modern hip and knee replacement techniques and recent developments in orthopedic surgery (ECB/PIA7-Bohol)