President Marcos launches PhilHealth’s expanded primary care package
Credit to Author: Helen Flores| Date: Sat, 26 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0800
MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos can now avail themselves of more medicines and laboratory tests, including cancer screening, under the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth)’s expanded primary and preventive health care package launched by President Marcos yesterday.
Dubbed as the Yaman ng Kalusugan Program (YAKAP) para Malayo sa Sakit, Marcos said the revitalized benefit package aims to give Filipinos, particularly those in remote areas, better access to primary and preventive health care services without going to big hospitals.
The President said the program increased the number of drugs subsidized by PhilHealth, as well as laboratory examinations and cancer screening tests, including mammogram, liver ultrasound, low-dose CT scan and colonoscopy at accredited facilities nationwide.
“The truth is this is not really a new program. But this is an old program that we have expanded,” Marcos said during the program’s launch at the Gateway Mall in Quezon City.
In his remarks, PhilHealth president and chief executive officer Edwin Mercado said the agency has expanded previous outpatient benefits under the Konsultasyong Sulit at Tama (Konsulta) Program launched in 2021, which covered only 21 medicines and 15 laboratory tests.
Mercado said medicines covered under YAKAP increased from 21 to 75.
For the additional medicines, Mercado said the agency will launch an app, wherein Filipinos can avail themselves of their prescriptions from accredited pharmacies anywhere in the country.
Marcos said the agency is also digitalizing its system to address complaints about long lines in claiming PhilHealth benefits.