PhRO 7 Preps RN Heals for Deployment April 17, 2012

PhilHealth Regional Office VII recently joined the two-day pre-deployment orientation held by the Department of Health (DOH-7) for nurses and midwives who will be assigned to hospitals and other health facilities throughout Cebu province.

These nurses and midwives belong to the third batch of Registered Nurses for Health Empowerment and Local Service (RNHeals) for deployment in Cebu.

In keeping with the goals of Universal Health Care (UHC) or Kalusugan Pangkalahatan, DOH, in partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development, organized the deployment of RNHeals to ensure the delivery of essential health goods and social services to all Filipinos, especially the poor.

A total of 307 nurses and 87 midwives will be sent to the different cities and municipalities in Cebu . All of them are required to undergo a two-day pre-deployment orientation at the DOH-7 office.

Forty-four nurses and four midwives attended the March 28 to 29 orientation. The rest of the nurses and midwives for deployment in the province are scheduled to undergo the same orientation on April 10 to 18.

The pre-deployment orientation includes a course on the National Health Insurance Program, where PhilHealth social insurance officers are expected to brief RNHeals on the key points of the Program. PhilHealth puts emphasis on information regarding its membership programs, benefits and the rules on benefit availment.

As part of the broad objectives of UHC, RNHeals are expected to take note and report on patients’ PhilHealth membership status.

During the Cebu orientation in March, Annie Lucero, DOH-7 representative to Mandaue City , Consolacion and San Remigio, said it is important that RNHeals be knowledgeable about PhilHealth because patients or their family members may have questions about their benefits.

Lucero mentioned that some of the common PhilHealth-related queries RNHeals encountered are whether stepchildren can avail of benefits, and when a patient can avail of full benefits again if he or she is confined a second time for the same illness.

PhilHealth 7 earlier joined the pre-deployment orientation for Negros Oriental RNHeals on March 20 to 21, and the April 2 to 3 orientation for Bohol. (END)