PhilHealth reiterates benefit coverage for pertussis

IN LINE WITH the recent reports on the rising cases of “whooping cough” in the country, the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) assures the public that it covers services for inpatient confinement for this condition.

PhilHealth President and CEO Emmanuel R. Ledesma Jr. encouraged all Filipinos to seek medical consultation by availing PhilHealth Konsultasyong Sulit at Tama (Konsulta) Package if they exhibit symptoms of pertussis like mild fever, cough, or cold.

“If our kababayans need medical consultation, I encourage them to avail themselves of the free consultation and the medicines they need to treat the disease as recommended by the healthcare provider under PhilHealth Konsulta. All they have to do is register,” he declared.

PhilHealth Konsulta is the comprehensive outpatient primary care benefit package that includes free consultation, targeted health risk screening and assessment, selected laboratory and diagnostic tests, drugs and medicines as recommended by the healthcare provider.

Mr. Ledesma also expressed support for DoH’s call for urgent vaccination and stressed the importance of preventive care.

“Vaccination and early detection are our strongest defenses against pertussis. I advise all our kababayans to check the vaccination status of their children and have regular consultations to prevent the spread of the disease,” he said.

Pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, is described by the World Health Organization as a respiratory infection caused by Bordetella pertussis bacterium. Symptoms include a mild fever, colds, and a “staccato” cough, usually appearing seven to 10 days after infection. It is highly contagious, spreading through droplets when a person sneezes or coughs. Infants and young children who haven’t received the DTaP vaccine (Diptheria, Tetanus, and acellular Pertussis) are the most vulnerable to this disease, which can be prevented through vaccination and is treatable by antibiotics.

On cases requiring confinement, Mr. Ledesma said that the case rate benefits for pertussis range from P13,000 to P19,000. He added that if a patient develops severe pneumonia, a common complication of this disease, PhilHealth has a benefit package for it as high as P90,100.