ILOILO City – Following successful rollouts in Manila and Cebu, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) officially brought its revitalized primary care benefit package, PhilHealth YAKAP (Yaman ng Kalusugan Program) for Region 6, in a launching ceremony at Casa Real de Iloilo yesterday, March 16.
This initiative, which includes the GAMOT (Guaranteed and Accessible Medications for Outpatient Treatment) benefit, reaffirms the government’s commitment to protecting every Filipino’s health in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s vision for a “Bagong Pilipinas.”
The YAKAP-GAMOT program is a major evolution of the previous “Konsulta” package, designed to offer an expanded suite of accessible health services, including free check-ups, basic laboratory tests, and medicines.
Under the PhilHealth GAMOT component, registered members and their dependents in Iloilo can now access up to P20,000 worth of free outpatient medicines annually. The benefit covers essential drugs for chronic conditions such as hypertension and cardiology medicines, diabetes and anti-dyslipidemia drugs, asthma and COPD medications, and antimicrobials and antithrombotics.
The program initially is expanding to 75 types of essential drugs in 2026 to further reduce out-of-pocket expenses for long-term medication .
Beyond medications, the YAKAP program emphasizes early diagnosis. Members are entitled to free cancer screening tests at select accredited hospitals. These includes mammography and breast ultrasound (breast cancer), Alpha-fetoprotein tests (liver cancer), low-dose chest CT scans (lung cancer), and colonoscopy (colorectal cancer).
“With PhilHealth YAKAP, President Marcos wants every Filipino to feel that it is possible to get ahead of illness,” said Lazaro T. Tabsing, head of PhilHealth Region 6.
He added: “We have expanded our primary and outpatient care benefits so that no Filipino has to postpone necessary tests or medications because of costs.”
To avail of YAKAP benefits, members must enroll in the YAKAP Program and select an accredited Primary Care Provider or YAKAP clinic. Registration may be completed through the eGov PH mobile app, the PhilHealth Member Portal, or by visiting any PhilHealth Local Health Insurance Office. This step ensures that members are officially linked to a facility that will provide their primary care services.
After choosing a clinic, members must visit their provider for a comprehensive health assessment and review of their medical history. A YAKAP physician will conduct this initial consultation to establish the patient’s baseline health needs and ensure proper guidance and preventive care.
When medication is needed, the attending physician will issue a prescription that includes a Unique Prescription Security Code or UPSC. Members may present this prescription along with a valid ID at any GAMOT accredited pharmacy in order to claim their free medicines.
PhilHealth is working closely with local healthcare providers in Iloilo to ensure they meet strict readiness standards, including stable internet connections (minimum 100 Mbps) and functional Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems, to provide seamless service. Clinics are also required to nominate at least four physicians to be granted access to the digital GAMOT prescribing app./PN
