Gordon calls for compulsory PhilHealth coverage for kids

MANILA, Philippines - United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) senatorial candidate Richard Gordon wants compulsory PhilHealth coverage for infants and children up to five years old.

Gordon said recently that placing infants under PhilHealth coverage until they reach the age of five years old even if their parents are not enrolled in the government’s health insurance program would ensure a healthy nation.

“It will allow mothers to bring their kids, without hesitation, without feeling inferior, to a doctor and get medical care and medicine paid for by the system,” Gordon said.

Gordon, chairman of the Philippine Red Cross, also underscored the need for the government to allocate a bigger financial allocation for health because the country’s budget falls short of the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s budgetary requirement for health.