Sajahatra Bangsamoro adopts Philhealth's SAGIP

From the Philippine Information Agency (Jul 10): Sajahatra Bangsamoro adopts Philhealth's SAGIP

The Sajahatra Bangsamoro program will adopt Philhealth’s Strenghtening and Guaranteeing Insurance for the Poor (SAGIP) Module. 

Recently, 11 members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front – Project Management Team (MILF-PMT) were trained in the use of SAGIP, an information system that will be installed in the local government units.

SAGIP is an important component of the Social Protection Support Initiatives (SPSI) Program which aims to introduce interventions that will enable PhilHealth’s poor members to pay for and sustain their health insurance coverage.

It will be linked to information other information systems like Department of Health’s Watching Over Mothers and Babies (WOMB) and Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Sustaining Interventions in Poverty Alleviation and Governance (SIPAG) that will be crucial in the identification of social services interventions particularly on the technical and skills training, livelihood and employment assistance.

”We really mean to have a sustainable membership and benefit coverage particularly for the sponsored members of Bangsamoro,” Dennis Lloyd Lee of the Philhealth Information Technology and Mangement Department said.

He added the same benefits will ”eventually be expanded to individually paying members and OFW Members.”

Using information from WOMB, SIPAG and SAGIP, government agencies like DOH, Philhealth and DSWD will finance the social health insurance needs of the members. The same information will also be used to train the beneficiaries to become productive and become economically independent and become capable of paying for their contributions.

Meanwhile, LGUs, through their respective social welfare and development offices, would also use the linked information systems to undertake microfinance assistance projects , register non-NHTS (National Household Targeting System) members,implement social interventions, and monitor economic status of beneficiaries.

It is also designed to maintain or improve their membership level with Philhealth and improve services through efficient infrastructure to be provided by Philhealth.

At the training, Dr. Miriam Grace G. Pamonag, OIC Regional Vice President of Philhealth 12, told the participants, ”it is easy to enroll with Philhealth; however, the real battle is during hospitalization.”

”We honor whatever you encode in the system but it is also important to validate the entry. There is no doubt that Philhealth will be very flexible about it,” Pamonag added. ”We hope to come up wth a policy that fits to your need. Rest assured that all issues and concerns raised from this forum will be forwarded to the Central Office.”

The team was also advised to coordinate with the Local Health Insurance Office in Cotabato City headed by Sharihana G. Sali or the Philhealth Regional Office Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao under by Atty. Khaliquzzaman Macabato.

”Before the end of the year, we hope to achieve more. The National Health Insurance Program is ours. As owner of the program we have the obligation and responsibilities to take care of it. Let’s join hands to work this out for the benefit of the next generation,” Dr. Pamonag reminded the participants.

”When we see each other I hope we can altogether memorize our vision that ”Bawat Filipinop Miyembro, Bawat Miyembro Protektado, Kalusugan Natin Segurado. Let us nurture the partnership,” she added.

Sajahatra Bangsamoro Program is a socio- economic initiative of the Aquino administration that aims to uplift the health, livelihood and education conditions of Bangsamoro communities.

President Benigno Aquino III launched the program when he visited the Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute in Barangay Simuay, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao on February 11, 2012.

During the program launching, Philhealth distributed 11,000 Philhealth cards to members of the Bangsamoro communities.

http://www.pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?article=1611373441265