Free health care for ‘bakwits’

DAVAO CITY – The Department of Health (DOH) has released R25 million in cash to hospitals in Iligan and Cagayan de Oro for the free health care of bakwits or internally displaced persons (IDPs).

The DOH in the early days of the siege signed a memorandum of agreement with several hospitals around Marawi City to provide for the free health care of Marawi-related injuries.

DOH secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial, in an interview here, said that the DOH made sure that the hospitals would treat the patients even if these did not have identification or membership statuses with Philhealth.

"Sinisigurado ho natin na pag bakwit po ang pasyente, pay all po yung Philhealth. Ibig sabihin po nyan, di na kailangan magproduce ng ID ng birth certificate, ng MDR, yung form na nagsasabi na dependent sila or nagbayad sila on time," Ubial said. (We are giving the assurance that they will be treated without having to produce documentary requirements.)

"Basta taga Marawi po sila or galing Marawi, inaadmit po natin, wala nang kailangan na papeles, and binabayaran po ng Philhealth ang kanilang hospitalization. Ang excess ng Philhealth, yung DOH napo ang nagbabayad through the medical assistance program," Ubial said. (For as long as they come from Marawi, they will be admitted in the hospitals. Philhealth will pay for their hospitalization and whatever is in excess, the DOH will pay for it.)

At the evacuation centers, the DOH and private partners and other organizations such as NGOs have been able to assist at least 7,428 patients.

The DOH estimated that around 33 percent or 2,200 of the consultations done in the evacuation centers were for children patients.

"Karamihan po sa kanila, diarrhea or ubo't sipon," Ubial said. (Most of the children are suffering from diarrhea, cough, and cold.)