Press Release
May 10, 2008

Half the population of poor children lack health care, should be provided health insurance -- Angara

Senator Edgardo Angara today expressed concern over the increasing inaccessibility of health care to poor Filipino children, stressing that the rising prices of commodities leaves little money left for spending on basic health care.

"With prices of just about every commodity going up, Filipinos are stretching their budget too thinly, and would not be able to afford even basic health care for their children," Angara said.

"Poor families usually forego health care and use their meager resources for food," Angara lamented.

According to the former chair of the Senate Congressional Commission on Health, "poor children in the Philippines are three times more vulnerable to disease and death than their well-off counter-parts."

"The reason behind this is obvious and preventable. These children lack basic health care, such as prenatal care, immunization packages and treatment. A recent study by Save the Children International showed that 46% of children from poor families lacked health care," Angara said.

A World Bank report states that infant and mortality rates for babies below 5 years old are 2.3-2.7 times higher for household in the poorest groups in the country. Among pre-school age children, the national estimates for the prevalence of malnutrition reveal that 31 out of 100 children are underweight and 33 out of 100 among school-age children. A national government survey indicates 3 out of 10 children age 12-23 months have not received the recommended vaccinations.

In this light, Angara has filed a bill creating a child health insurance program (CHIP), that will provide children aged 6 and below with a full range of health services like regular checkups, immunizations, prescription drugs, dental and eye care, among others. Children of indigent parents will receive free health insurance coverage.

CHIP would complement the existing National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) or PhilHealth.

With the CHIP, access to health services will now be extended to children, "one of the most uninsured members of our population."

"We need to make our children not only dependents of health insurance but beneficiaries themselves," he added.

"This program will rescue our young population from a health crisis, and will meet one of the most important needs of the underprivileged sector," he added.

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