Victims of the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that rocked Cebu can now avail themselves of free orthopedic treatment under PhilHealth’s ‘Z benefits’ package, the Department of Health (DOH) announced Saturday, October 4.
DOH Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo said the expanded benefit was approved by the PhilHealth Board to help survivors who suffered fractures and other bone injuries after being hit or trapped by falling debris.
“‘Yung sa orthopedic Z benefit package kaya importante ‘yan dun sa gawi ng PhilHealth, kasi kunwari nabalian ang isang tao dahil nga dun sa lindol. Ang karaniwang ginagawa po ng mga orthopedic surgeons, naglalagay po ng mga tinatawag na implants. ‘Yan po ay mga bakal na kung tawagin nga po. Mahal po yan kaya nahihirapan ang ating mga kababayan,” Domingo said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB.
(The orthopedic Z benefit package is important under PhilHealth’s system because, for instance, if a person suffers a bone fracture due to the earthquake, orthopedic surgeons typically insert what are called implants, which are metal components used to stabilize broken bones. These implants are very expensive, which is why many Filipinos struggle to afford them.)
The new orthopedic Z package will allow patients to undergo surgery and receive implants at no cost, under a zero-balance billing policy.
‘Wala na po silang kailangang gastusin (They will no longer have to spend anything),’ Domingo said.
The DOH official clarified that the benefit will cover even patients confined in non-accredited private hospitals, as long as their injuries were caused by the earthquake or its aftershocks.
He also clarified that the benefit is retroactive to the date of the quake.
“Retroactive to the time of the incident kailan nag-lindol, kahit po kayo ay nadischarge at ngayon lang nag-approve, ‘wag kayong magalala sasaklawan ‘yung bill ninyo,” the DOH official said.
(It’s retroactive to the time of the earthquake. Even if you’ve already been discharged and the approval came only now, don’t worry, your hospital bill will still be covered.)
To fast-track implementation, the DOH said it has coordinated with hospitals across Cebu and will issue provisional accreditations where necessary.
The health department continues to operate under Code Blue Alert, the highest emergency status, while aftershocks persist in the province.
Domingo said the DOH maintains round-the-clock monitoring and has so far deployed 163 medical personnel to assist affected communities.
‘Every 24 hours, nagrereport at nag-aassess kung ilan ang nadeploy at kung saan pa kailangan,’ Domingo added.
(Every 24 hours, they report and assess how many personnel have been deployed and where else they are needed.)
In a separate interview on Saturday, Domingo said the DOH will deploy additional mental health and psychosocial support teams to Cebu on a rotational basis.
‘Mayroon tayong Mental Health and Psychosocial Service team na ide-deploy sa Cebu province para iyon ang mag-aasikaso doon sa mental health,’ he said.
(We have a Mental Health and Psychosocial Service team that will be deployed to Cebu province to take care of the mental health needs there.)
The earthquake killed at least 68 people, injured nearly 600 and displaced over 77,000 residents in hard-hit towns like Bogo City and Medellin.
Officials declared a state of calamity in Cebu province to unlock emergency funds and give local governments flexibility to hasten rescue, relief and rehabilitation efforts.