CEBU, Philippines — The country’s health insurer, PhilHealth, is expected to improve the integration, interoperability, and interconnection of its systems and applications after it entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT).
Under the partnership, the DICT will assess and evaluate PhilHealth’s current applications and systems and provide recommendations and strategies for the improvement of its ICT system, which in turn would reportedly boost health insurance services to 111 million Filipinos all over the country and abroad.
Aside from that, it is expected to identify, develop and enhance the state health insurer’s existing systems and applications to ensure effective and efficient delivery of government services.
“We couldn’t be happier with this agreement with DICT. Maraming proseso at serbisyo ang PhilHealth na kailangan ng computerization at digitalization upang lalong maging mabilis at kasiya-siya sa lahat ng Filipino,” said PhilHealth Chief Emmanuel R. Ledesma, Jr. during a simple rites in Pasay City recently.
Ledesma also pledged not to disappoint the current administration with this latest development.
“Isa ito sa mga plano na inilahad namin. Hindi namin bibiguin ang pangulo at ang lahat ng kababayan natin,” added Ledesma.
Ledesma also thanked the DICT, led by Sec. Ivan John Uy and Usec. David Almirol, Jr., for their support of PhilHealth’s digital transformation plan.
Uy, for his part, said that such partnership fortified a common aspiration of providing better service to the Filipino people by allowing them to access their PhilHealth benefits easily, seamlessly, and pleasantly.
Uy also considered the agreement “a milestone in terms of e-governance.”
The long-standing challenge of digitalizing public health care is expected to be finally addressed with this initiative. — GAN (FREEMAN)