PhilHealth policies updated to cover bird flu
July 3rd, 2006
The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation has updated its service package to cover bird flu and influenza pandemic in its “SARS” category. PhilHealth’s benefit was expanded to cover avian influenza type A viruses or any other newly developed strains of the virus that have not been dealt with so far. The decision is included in the company’s Board Resolution No. 880.
The Department of Health has drawn up a list of hospitals designated as Avian Flu and Influenza Pandemic hospitals and in the case of PhilHealth members admitted to those, they can request a benefit of 50,000 Philippine Pessos per case. The sum is doubled is the patient is a health care workers in the same hospitals, if the person contracted the disease while caring for an avian flu victim.