In a significant health initiative, more than 900,000 residents of Pangasinan have enrolled in the Konsultasyong Sulit at Tama (Konsulta) program, facilitated by the provincial government’s Government Unified Incentives for Medical Consultation (Guiconsulta) program. Governor Ramon Guico III shared this milestone, noting the program’s growth since its inception in September of the previous year. The initiative aims to boost the utilization of PhilHealth’s preventive healthcare package among the province’s residents. Participants in the Guiconsulta program are provided with fare and food allowances to ease their access to Konsulta services. The Konsulta program, a requirement under the Universal Health Care Law, offers free medical consultations, health screenings, specific lab tests, diagnostics, and medications for existing health conditions. Each PhilHealth member and their dependents can avail of up to PHP1,700 in Konsulta benefits each year. Governor Guico emphasized the importance of reaching out to residents at home, enrolling them directly using an accredited electronic management system as required by PhilHealth. The provincial government has set a target to register 2 million members and has budgeted between PHP400 million to PHP500 million for this year’s program. All 14 government hospitals in Pangasinan are accredited to provide Konsulta services.
