DepEd expands school healthcare access for 47,000 beneficiaries

MANILA, Philippines— Over 47,000 target beneficiaries may now access primary healthcare services after the Department of Education (DepEd) led a nationwide health drive on Monday across 91 public school campuses in 85 cities and provinces, transforming local campuses into primary healthcare hubs.

According to a DepEd statement, the initiative is part of the multi-agency Handog ng Pangulo service caravan, established under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to deliver frontline social services directly to communities.

The caravan is conducted in partnership with the Philippine Health Insurance Corp.’s (PhilHealth) Yaman ng Kalusugan Program (Yakap).

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The 47,000 beneficiaries include around 22,000 teachers, 18,700 students, 6,000 parents and guardians, and 900 non-teaching personnel.

“Under the direction of President Bongbong Marcos, we continue to bring standard government services to our countrymen,” Education Secretary Sonny Angara said in Filipino.

“Through cooperation with PhilHealth and other agencies of Handog ng Pangulo, we are making sure that our teachers, students, and their families will have access to free and quality healthcare,” he added.

DepEd also joined the Handog ng Pangulo activity at the Kalinga Sports Center with partner agencies, including the Department of Health (DOH), Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), and PhilHealth.

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To streamline public access, participating school sites provided on-site registration for new PhilHealth members, issuance of official PhilHealth IDs and Member Data Records (MDR), official assignment to designated Yakap primary care clinics, initial medical consultations and preventive health registration, and the direct distribution of essential medicines through the GAMOT program.

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Timed during the nationwide wellness break for public school educators and students, the school-based caravan allowed families to receive essential medical services without disrupting academic schedules. /atm