PhilHealth accredits 12 birthing centers

Birthing centers in at least 12 barangays in Cebu City have been accredited by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).

The accreditation is expected to help lessen the patient load of public hospitals in the city.

According to the City Health Department, the 12 birthing centers newly accredited by PhilHealth are located in Talamban, Mabolo, Carreta, Guadalupe, Quiot, Inayawan, Pasil, Lahug, Cambinocot, Sudlon, Tejero, and San Nicolas.

City health officer Daisy Villa is currently working for the accreditation of more barangay birthing centers. Being accredited with PhilHealth allows the government insurance company to cover the allowable costs for maternity and birthing services in these centers.

“I-determine nato ang lugar kay kinahanglan dako-dako ang lugar, before ipa-accredit nato,” Villa said.

Villa said she also wants to improve the health system and facility in the barangays.

“Kung makaya nato, and improve the health system and the facility itself, then why not?” Villa added.

Villa said she came up with the concept of putting birthing centers in the barangay level during the Covid-19 pandemic as many pregnant women were not accommodated by public hospitals due to the dire medical emergency at that time.

With the accredited barangay birthing centers, Villa expects that the patient load in public hospitals would now be lessened.

“We are trying to help the CCMC (Cebu City Medical Center) or (Vicente) Sotto (Memorial Medical Center) nga ma-lessen ang dili angay sa hospital, moadto sa health center,” Villa said.

And to help CCMC and other government hospitals further, CCHD is also looking into putting up an electronic referral system between the CCHD, the public and private hospitals, and the barangays.

Once an electronic referral system is in place, the time to transfer critical patients from the barangays to hospitals will be lessened. This will also lessen the number of patients with nonemergency cases at the hospital level.

“Sa among multi-sectoral council meeting, we found out that daghang referral from the barangay but dili emergency, dili third level, para sa City Health ra unta o sa barangay health center,” Villa said.