CEBU CITY (Feb. 18, 2024) – Twelve barangay birthing centers in the city have been accredited with Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).
These are in Talamban, Mabolo, Carreta, Guadalupe, Quiot, Inayawan, Pasil, Lahug, Cambinocot, Sudlon, Tejero, and Pahina San Nicolas, according to the Cebu City Health Department (CCHD).
Having been accredited, PhilHealth will cover allowable costs for maternity and birthing services in these centers.
City health officer Dr. Daisy Villa said CCHD aims to have the other birthing centers in the city also accredited.
“I-determine nato ang lugar kay kinahanglan dakodako ang lugar, before ipa-accredit nato,” she said during the maiden cast of CCHD’s Patas sa Kahimsog teleradyo program over Sugboanon Channel Friday.
“Kung makaya nato, and improve the health system and the facility itself, then why not?” she added.
Villa said she came up with the concept of putting birthing centers in the barangay level during the Covid-19 pandemic.
She recalled that a lot of pregnant women were turned away from public hospitals due to the dire medical emergency at that time.
Villa said she expects that the patient load of public hospitals are lessen if barangay health centers accommodate pregnant women.
“But we are trying to help the CCMC (Cebu City Medical Center) or (Vicente) Sotto (Memorial Medical Center) nga ma-lessen ang dili angay sa hospital, moadto sa health center,” Villa added.
E-referral
She is also working on putting up an electronic referral system between the CCHD, the public and private hospitals, and the barangays.
Villa said that once an electronic referral system is in place, the time to transfer critical patients from the barangays to hospitals is lessened.
I-determine nato ang lugar kay kinahanglan dakodako ang lugar, before ipa-accredit nato. Kung makaya nato, and improve the health system and the facility itself, then why not?
Dr. Daisy S. Villa, city health officer
It also lessens the number of patients with non-emergency cases at the hospital level, she added.
“Sa among multi-sectoral council meeting, we found out that daghang referral from the barangay but dili emergency, dili third level, para sa City Health ra unta o sa barangay health center,” Villa said. | PPRMN / jkv
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