Saving Filipino Children

Senator Edgardo J. Angara proposed a mandatory health insurance program for the 14 million Filipino children of low-income families.

There are about 33 million children in the country, and 14 million of them are considered poor. Poor families would usually forego health care, or borrow money at usurious rates, sell the few assets they have, and pull children out of school, just to afford health services when catastrophic illnesses strike. But more often than not, their limited resources go directly to putting food on the table, leaving very little for their health care needs.

The World Bank reports that infant mortality rates for babies below 5 years old are about three times higher for households in the poorest groups in the country. The national estimates for the prevalence of malnutrition reveal that 31 out of every 100 preschool-age children and 33% of all school-age children are underweight for their age. Full vaccination rate has likewise declined. A national government survey indicates that 3 out of 10 children below two years old have not received the recommended vaccinations.

These striking differences highlight the continuing disparity in living standards and access to health care in the Philippines. But the state cannot afford to neglect the health of our country's children, if we hope to raise a strong and productive future generation.

In the Senate, I propose a mandatory health insurance program for the 14 million Filipino children of low-income families through the establishment of a Children's Health Insurance Program or CHIP.

CHIP will complement the existing PhilHealth, which I authored in 1995. It will provide children with a full range of health services like regular checkups, immunization, prescription drugs, laboratory tests, X-rays, hospital and clinic visits, medical equipment, even dental and eye care.

Under the present PhilHealth Act, all senior citizens, including indigents, are provided with access to health services. But with the proposed CHIP, the country's health services would now also cover children under 18 years of age, one of the most uninsured members of our population.