“In 2013, I was diagnosed with Stage IV, HIV AIDS level,” said Darwin Tenorio, a Project Officer of The Red Ribbon Project and an active Informal Sector member of PhilHealth.

Sporting a slim figure, friendly smile and bubbly personality, Darwin does not seem like he was diagnosed with Human Immunodeficiency Virus. He was connected with a Business Process Outsourcing company when the symptoms struck. "Nag-wasting (diarrhea) ako, three series of herpes zoster for one year, tuberculosis at nagnana ang aking bibig. During that time, iniisip ng parents ko paano ma-augment ang expenses sa private hospitals. It’s a good thing na bago ako maconfine, updated ang PhilHealth records ko. Nakakuha ako ng claim. It’s a blessing, The Medical City is accredited by PhilHealth. Yung bulk ng binayaran namin ay lesser talaga. So, iyon ang malaking tulong ng PhilHealth sa akin,” he said.

This led to his resignation after nine years of being employed. But he continued his PhilHealth membership, along with other social protection services, noting that his parents instilled in him the importance of doing so, saying it will benefit him “kung umabot man sa pagiging senior citizen,” he chuckled.

“Napakalaking tulong ng PhilHealth sa maysakit na tulad ko na hanggang ngayon ay lumalaban pa rin. Kung walang PhilHealth, ayteks* na ‘ko,” he narrated.

What he initially thought was just a mere payslip deduction is now his lifeline. “Nung nangailangan ako, doon ko nalaman na may malaking importansya at napakahalaga na may mapagkukunan pala ako. Doon ko nalaman yung value ng contributions ko sa PhilHealth. Sa OHAT Package talaga ako nakadepende,” he admitted.

The PhilHealth Outpatient HIV/AIDS Treatment (OHAT) Package amounts to P30,000 per year for members and qualified dependents confirmed with HIV/AIDS infection and needing retroviral treatment. The package can be availed of in any of the 22 treatment hubs and six (4) satellite treatment hubs in the country.

With continuous treatment, his viral level is now undetectable and his CD4** lobe count is 380. “Iyung transmission ko sa ibang tao ay very minimal na, almost wala na,” he explained. He acknowledged that he got the disease due to his promiscuous sexual life when he was younger.

His appreciation for the program goes beyond the benefits he has been receiving. From the online verification of his membership and contribution status, payment through Bayad Center and availment in the treatment hub, he was delighted by the quality of service PhilHealth has been delivering to its members. “Ang ganda ng process, it’s a good way of helping us, those in this treatment na mas mabilis ang serbisyo. Kaka-refill ko lang ng gamot ko for three months. The good thing is inaccept ng Medical City yung printed contribution form at MDR, kaya’t hindi na ako nahirapan”, he added.

He was even more surprised when he learned how PhilHealth’s policy was revised to be more responsive to the needs of the members. “Maliwanag naman kasi sa akin kung ano ang laman ng package and yung mga revisions on OHAT na possible na puedeng mangyari pa, napaka-open ng PhilHealth para doon. When I heard that PhilHealth is for PLHIVs (people living with HIV) which is in the long run ay baka magka-ubusan ng gamot, it rings a bell na wow, na-anticipate na nila ito. Ibig sabihin, continuous pa rin ang treatment, hindi nakatatakot. There are other medical providers who think na ganoon, may mga ospital talaga na, hindi ko na babanggitin. And they’re always blaming PhilHealth for the service which we think is very unfair. It’s very unfair (to PhilHealth),” he said.

As an active officer of The Project Red Ribbon, his advocacy is focused not only on building awareness on HIV but also on emphasizing the importance of having active PhilHealth membership. “Sa mga PLHIV communities na pinupuntahan ko, I usually check kung ina-administer nila ang medicines nila at lagi kong sinasabi ang importance na updated ang PhilHealth contributions. Priority iyan. Sa lahat ng caucus na pinupuntahan namin, iyan ang laging nakahighlight,” he ended.

The PhilHealth OHAT Package covers drugs and medicines, laboratory exams based on the guidelines prescribed by the Department of Health including cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4) level determination test, viral load (if warranted), test for monitoring of anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs toxicity and professional fees of providers.

More information on PhilHealth’s OHAT Package is found in Circular 11, series of 2015 in www.philhealth.gov.ph. (END) (END) (Pinky G. Aragones and Dianna Marie S. Chua)