By Brian Campued
To safeguard the health and wellness of students, teachers, and non-teaching personnel by providing access to quality medical services, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday led the launch of the Yaman ng Kalusugan Program (YAKAP) Caravan in Baler, Aurora.
As part of the CLASS+ (Clinics for Learners’ Access to School Health Services Plus) program, a collaboration between the Department of Education (DepEd) and Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), the YAKAP Caravan connects school clinics with the local health system through PhilHealth’s Konsulta (Konsultaysong Sulit at Tama) Program to offer consultations, laboratory tests, and medicines.
For the YAKAP Caravan in Aurora National High School, over 200 elementary students underwent eye check-ups, while more than 350 teachers, non-teaching personnel, and high school students had access to various medical services, including X-ray, electrocardiogram (ECG), urinalysis, and ultrasound.
Joining the President during the conduct of the caravan were DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara and PhilHealth President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Edwin Mercado.
Angara stressed the importance of collaborating with other government agencies and the private sector to make sure initiatives like Class+ and YAKAP would be successful and responsive to the needs of the people—a testament to the “whole-of-nation approach” of the Marcos Jr. administration.
“Ang kalusugan ng ating mga mag-aaral ang pundasyon ng dekalidad na edukasyon,” the Education chief said in a press release. “Sa pamamagitan ng CLASS+ at YAKAP, sinisiguro natin na ang bawat bata ay may lakas at sigla upang matuto at abutin ang kanilang mga pangarap,” he added.
In June, a YAKAP Caravan was also held at Esteban Abada Elementary School in Quezon City, which brought together key officials from the Department of Health (DOH), DepEd, local government units (LGUs), and private diagnostics company 1Life Philippines to provide periodic check-ups for students, teachers, and non-teaching personnel.
DepEd likewise plans to expand both the caravan and the CLASS+ program to reach more schools across the country.
An enhanced primary care benefit package launched in July, YAKAP focuses on preventive healthcare by offering more comprehensive medical services for PhilHealth members, such as free check-ups, laboratory tests, cancer screening tests, as well as access to at least 75 medicines worth up to P20,000 yearly.
-jpv
