BAGUIO CITY, June 14 (PIA) — The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC) and its partners recently launched in the city a health handbook that aims to improve the health-seeking behavior of senior citizens in the region.
Entitled “My Personal Health Handbook-the Cordillera Senior Citizen Booklet,” its purpose is to record medical findings, availment of health services on outpatient and in-patient basis in different health facilities and document all benefits availed by the senior citizens and their qualified dependents.
With the increasing number of senior citizens in the region, there is a need for a multi-stakeholder approach to enable them to participate and contribute to community development, Noland Sabling of PHIC explained during the 2nd Quarter Regional Social Development Committee (RSDC) meeting held recently.
In 2018, the population of senior citizens in the region of CAR was 1,785,817, 19.4% higher compared to the 2010 Philippine Statistics Authority population of elders.
As documented by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in 2018, life expectancy rose leading to more elderlies. The World Health Organization also reported that life expectancy at birth for the Philippines is 69.24 years in 2017 which increased from 68.95 in 2015.
It is the aim of the concerned agencies to ensure that adults do not only live longer and have healthier lives but to live with the empowered level of knowledge where senior citizens have control over their health because they are aware of their health status, thus able to decide how to become healthy, living a longer life, Sabling said.
When the senior citizens are regularly utilizing their booklet, it will result in better health outcomes and improved data management leading to appropriate health programs..
The booklet is our way of giving back the favor to the senior citizens who had contributed to the society when they were younger, and as our approach of empowering them to be health champions and walking advocate, he added.
Sabling said that the PHIC, Department of Health (DOH-CAR), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD-CAR) shall monitor and evaluate the progress of the initiative to continually improve and enhance implementation with the end-goal of automating the process and covering all senior citizens.
During the meeting, the RSDC approved a resolution requiring local government units and hospitals in the Cordillera to utilize the booklet and allocate funds for its reproduction to ensure its sustainability. **JDP/MAWC – PIA CAR
