Health News
Survey: More than half of Filipinos do not have health insurance
Sep 17, 2010, 6:21 GMT
Manila - More than half of the Philippines' population does not have health insurance while a quarter does not see a doctor when sick, a nationwide survey released Friday showed.
According to the survey on health-care services and financing, 55 per cent of the 94 million Filipinos do not have any public or private insurance to cover their health-care expenses.
Most of those without health insurance belonged to the lower classes of society, said the Manila-based pollster Social Weather Stations.
Twenty-five per cent of the 1,200 respondents nationwide also said they do not seek health care when they are sick.
The polling institute said 33 per cent of those who do not see a doctor said they already know what medicine they needed while 24 per cent said they could not afford the services.
The survey, conducted from January 29 to February 1, was commissioned by a private association of pharmaceutical and health-care companies in the Philippines, the institute said.
According to the state-run Philippine Health Insurance Corp (PhilHealth), about 20 million Filipinos are currently covered by the government's health-insurance programme.
Established in 1995, PhilHealth was set the target of covering all Filipinos by 2010. The subsidized programme was designed to provide health care for those unable to buy private insurance and complementary coverage for those with private policies.
COMMENT
blog comments powered by DisqusLatest Headlines in Health
- 1. US Supreme Court to decide fate of healthcare law
- 2. Obama's health law hangs in balance with skeptical court
- 3. Supreme Court begins hearing on Obama's landmark health law
- 4. China vows to end transplants from executed prisoners
- 5. Nordic walking a simple way to get fit
Older Talkback
