PhilHealth to allow health proxies by end of September
PhilHealth will start allowing its members to declare health proxies for emergencies this September.
"Currently, we're updating our membership or registration form. In that latest update, we will include the field for declaring a health proxy," Joseph Anthony D. Lachica, vice president for PhilHealth's Member Management Group, said during the House Committee on Appropriations' second budget hearing for the Department of Health on Monday, Sept. 7.
According to Health Secretary Edwin Mercado, the updated form will be ready by month's end.
This comes after Akbayan Party-list Rep. Perci Cendeña said some hospitals do not recognize the Right to Care Ordinance because of the lack of a Health Department memo.
PhilHealth's latest development is aligned with the Right to Care Act, introduced by Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima. The bill allows patients to designate trusted individuals to make medical decisions on their behalf when they cannot.
Under the measure, the information of the "health care agent" or health proxy will be reflected on the patient's PhilHealth ID. It will also be entered into a Right to Care registry under the Department of Health.
Quezon City was the first local government to implement the Right to Care measure through the Right to Care Card, the "first-ever special power of attorney card for queer couples," per the QC government. The cardholder will be able to make decisions on their partner's medical care, including agreeing, refusing, or withdrawing consent for any type of health care for their partner.
Following QC's lead, eight other cities have adopted similar measures: San Juan, Mandaluyong, Parañaque, Dasmariñas, Iloilo, Biñan, Carmona, and Laoag. Four provinces have done the same: Cavite, Cebu, Laguna, and Ilocos Sur.
