North Cotabato To Distribute Health Insurance

A beggar's baby crawls from a sidewalk in Cotabato City in the southern Philippines. (Mark Navales)

KIDAPAWAN CITY (Carlos Bautista / 01 Aug) Local government officials in North Cotabato province on Tuesday pledged their commitment to the Cotabato Health Insurance Program (CHIP) which will be implemented next year.

Gov. Emmanuel Pinol said the program will be his legacy to the people of North Cotabato, especially the poor. "This will give our poor people the opportunity to recover their dignity in the face of their health and medical problems."

"They no longer have to go begging for assistance from politicians for their medicines and hospital bills, and suffer being scolded before receiving financial aid," he said.

A brainchild of Pinol, the CHIP aims to develop a scheme of health care financing which does not depend solely on government subsidy. The program will adopt a cost-sharing scheme between indigent members, the villages, concerned local government unit, and the provincial government.

It will also be made available to non-indigents who would have to shoulder the entire annual premium contribution. Both indigent and non-indigent members will have a maximum coverage of P150,000 in health benefits.