PhilHealth Expands School-Based Access to Primary Care and Specialized Health Benefits

SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union (PIA) — Filipino schoolchildren may gain more convenient access to preventive and specialized healthcare as the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) strengthens coordination with schools to connect learners with primary care and available health benefits.

The initiative recognizes schools as important points for identifying health concerns early and helping children access appropriate services, including vision care, rehabilitation, and mental health support.

PhilHealth Acting President and Chief Executive Officer Doctor Beverly Lorraine Ho said the agency is working to bring more schoolchildren into its Yaman ng Kalusugan Program (YAKAP), which serves as an entry point to primary and other healthcare services.

“Every child should have access to primary care,” Ho said, emphasizing the importance of reaching children in schools, where they spend a significant portion of their time.

How can schoolchildren access PhilHealth YAKAP benefits?

YAKAP provides continuous primary care, early detection, and preventive health services through accredited primary care providers. PhilHealth has identified schools as priority areas for expanding the program’s reach.

The approach allows schools to help identify learners who may need medical attention and facilitate referrals to appropriate healthcare providers.

Recent PhilHealth initiatives have likewise brought YAKAP services directly to schools, including First Patient Encounters, health screening, consultations, clinic assignment, and access to other PhilHealth services.

PhilHealth provides vision care benefits for children

Vision health is one area where stronger coordination between schools and healthcare providers can benefit learners.

PhilHealth provides an Optometric Benefit Package for children aged 0 to 15 years, covering services such as vision assessment and prescription eyeglasses. PhilHealth’s guidelines also provide for referrals from schools conducting vision screening to accredited optometric clinics.

Ho said PhilHealth wants to strengthen coordination with optometrists so that children identified by schools as potentially having vision problems can be connected with appropriate providers.

The initiative complements the Department of Education’s (DepEd) National Vision Screening Program, which provides vision screening for kindergarten learners and establishes mechanisms for referral and corrective intervention.

Rehabilitation services can support children with developmental concerns

Children with disabilities or developmental concerns may also benefit from PhilHealth packages covering assessment, rehabilitation, and related interventions.

School-based identification can help bring attention to concerns such as speech delays or mobility difficulties and facilitate referrals to covered therapy and rehabilitation services.

“We actually have a package that covers therapists for more than 90 sessions,” she said.

PhilHealth also has benefit packages intended to support children with visual disabilities and other conditions that require rehabilitation or assistive interventions. PhilHealth’s benefit framework includes packages for physical medicine, rehabilitation services, and assistive mobility devices.

Mental health is part of the school-health connection

Mental health is another area where stronger links between schools and healthcare providers can help children receive appropriate support.

As DepEd continues to strengthen school-based mental health and learner well-being programs, PhilHealth’s YAKAP program can serve as a primary-care entry point through which children can be assessed, monitored, and referred when additional healthcare services are needed.

“The entry point to all these benefits is YAKAP. So, our first order of business is to make sure that schoolchildren are covered by YAKAP,” Ho said.

Why is school-based healthcare important?

Schools can play a practical role in connecting education and healthcare because teachers and school personnel may be among the first to notice concerns that could affect a child’s participation and learning.

Through stronger coordination among PhilHealth, DepEd, schools, healthcare providers, local governments, and families, health concerns can be identified earlier and children can be referred to appropriate services.

The effort also supports the broader role of YAKAP as PhilHealth’s expanded primary-care program. PhilHealth describes YAKAP as a pathway to preventive care, consultations, diagnostics, medicines, screening, and referrals to higher levels of care.

By bringing awareness of PhilHealth benefits closer to schools, the initiative seeks to make primary healthcare more accessible to Filipino learners while strengthening referral pathways for vision, rehabilitation, mental health, and other health needs.

The goal is to ensure that health concerns that may interfere with a child’s education are identified and addressed through appropriate healthcare services. (AMB/AIHR, PIA Ilocos Region)

Via Health & Fitness PH