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PhilHealth to include mental health services in primary health care package

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Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/news/08/20/20200820-covid-navotas-swab-test-4843.jpg"/><figcaption><em>ABS-CBN News/File</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA - The Philippine Health Insurance Corp (PhilHealth) on Friday said it plans to include mental health services in its primary care package for Filipinos.</p><p>PhilHealth is working with the Department of Health (DOH) &quot;for mental health to be included in the Konsulta package,&quot; the government&#x27;s financing mechanism for the delivery of primary care services and commodities, said Shirley Domingo, PhilHealth Vice President for Corporate Affairs.</p><p>&quot;That means it will now be available at the community level,&quot; she said in an online forum.</p><p>&quot;We are working on it to bring it down to the community level so that anyone who needs it may be able to avail of it,&quot; she said.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/multimedia/slideshow/05/22/21/filipinos-face-the-mental-toll-of-the-covid-19-pandemic">Filipinos face the mental toll of the COVID-19 pandemic</a></li></ul><p>While the Konsulta package will be launched next month, the mental health service component will not be immediately included, the PhilHealth official said.</p><p>&quot;We will be finalizing the comprehensive out-patient package which will be including mental health,&quot; she said.</p><p>&quot;We will be expanding this, study what services to give… either next year or the year after,&quot; she said.</p><p>At least 3.6 million Filipinos are battling mental health issues as the Philippines continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, the DOH said in May.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/05/19/21/at-least-36-million-filipinos-battling-mental-health-issues-amid-pandemic-doh">At least 3.6 million Filipinos battling mental health issues amid pandemic: DOH</a></li></ul><p>About 1.14 million Filipinos have depression, 847,000 are battling alcohol-use disorders, while 520,000 others were diagnosed with bipolar disorder, said Frances Prescilla Cuevas, chief health program officer of the DOH&#x27;s Disease Prevention and Control Bureau.</p><p>Last year, the number of people calling the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) hotline grew 5 times over after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p>By April 2021, a year after the pandemic began, the hotline received 1,805 calls, which is 200 calls higher than the 1,604 calls recorded in March, according to data from the DOH.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/07/21/govt-mental-health-hotline-receives-more-calls-as-covid-19-pandemic-rages-in-philippines">Gov&#x27;t mental health hotline receives more calls as COVID-19 pandemic rages in Philippines</a></li></ul><div><strong> RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1638473" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

<p>The Philippine Health Insurance Corp (PhilHealth) on Friday said it plans to include mental health services in its primary care package for Filipinos.</p>

The Philippine Health Insurance Corp (PhilHealth) on Friday said it plans to include mental health services in its primary care package for Filipinos.

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PhilHealth to include mental health services in primary health care package

Katrina Domingo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jun 25, 2021 05:35 PM PHT

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Health

PhilHealth

Konsulta package

mental health

primary health care

insurance

basic services

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