House OKs free annual checkup bill

MANILA, Philippines — The House committee on health approved yesterday a bill seeking to provide free annual medical checkup for Filipinos.

At a virtual hearing, the panel decided to pass a substitute bill for the proposed Free Annual Medical Checkup Act authored by Anakalusugan party-list Rep. Mike Defensor.

“The recently passed Universal Health Care law highlights the importance of primary healthcare in promoting the health and wellness of the Filipino people,” Defensor said in sponsoring the measure.

“One of the aspects of primary healthcare is preventive care under which medical checkups fall, including physical examinations and diagnostic tests,” he added.

Under the proposed measure, the government will provided free annual medical checkup to all Filipinos covering diagnostic and laboratory tests for complete blood count, urinalysis, stool analysis, chest x-ray and complete physical exam.

The bill seeks to make every Filipino a member of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to avail of the benefits.

PhilHealth will establish a system to ensure that each individual will have access to free medical checkup within one calendar year.

The amount of service will also be charged against the total revenue of the agency, composed of premium contributions from direct contributors and government subsidies.

The bill will be submitted to plenary deliberations for approval of the whole chamber.