All gov’t hospitals now accredited to treat veterans

We wish to thank the Inquirer for Leila B. Salaverria’s article (“Vets unaware of hospital aid—COA,” Inquirer, 12/19/11) on the status of the Veterans Hospitalization Program (VHP) under Republic Act 6948.

There are currently 42,274 living veterans and 130,461 surviving spouses in our pension list. Considering that veterans’ dependents are also beneficiaries of the VHP, we estimate roughly 500,000 beneficiaries nationwide. However, there is only one hospital for veterans and their dependents in the Philippines—the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) in Quezon City.

We welcome the recent initiatives in the House of Representatives for the establishment of at least two more hospitals for veterans in the Visayas and Mindanao, although it should be noted as well that since the 1990s, to address the lack of hospitals for veterans, PVAO has accredited some government hospitals in the regions and provinces. Thus, veterans’ wards were established in these hospitals, purposely to extend in-patient hospitalization services to veterans and their dependents. The program failed for two reasons: most veterans generally lacked confidence in government hospitals; and the accredited hospitals likewise lacked confidence in PVAO’s capability to settle bills promptly. It did not help that the management of VHP funds was centralized at the PVAO main office, resulting in a tedious billing process and delayed payments.

To improve our services, PVAO conducted a thorough review of the program and has made some adjustments. We have intensified our information campaign to increase awareness of the program not only among our veterans but also among their dependents—through, among other means, regular bulletins to members, veterans’ organizations and media; and the establishment and development of the PVAO and VMMC websites.

Complementing these efforts, we have accredited all government hospitals (599) nationwide. To maximize the use of VHP funds, the PVAO, upon recommendation of the VMMC, expanded the scope of the program to include payment and reimbursement for: cataract surgeries up to P16,000; orthopedic implants up to P20,000 per implant; dentures up to P5,000 for a complete set (upper and lower dentures) and hernia mesh up to P2,000 per mesh. More improvements are to come.

While we still receive sporadic reports from veterans and dependents that some of our accredited hospitals refuse to deduct their hospitalization benefits from their hospital bills, we are confident that the revitalized VHP will be fully operational this year.

For questions and more information on the VHP, our veterans and their dependents may call the Office of the Director, VMMC at (02)9202487/927-7393 or the Office of the PVAO Administrator at (02)912-4526. The program details as well as the complete list of accredited hospitals nationwide are uploaded in our website, www.pvao.mil.ph.

—MARIA JUANITA S. FAJARDO-RIVERA, chief, Public Affairs Section, Philippine Veterans Affairs Office, Veterans Compound, Camp Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, Quezon City