Deputy Speaker and Las Piñas City Representative Camille Villar is advocating for the inclusion of mental health disorders in the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) benefit packages. She is also proposing a three-day mental health wellness leave for employees across both public and private sectors.
Villar highlighted the urgent need for this initiative by referencing the Mental Health Strategic Plan 2019-2023 from the Philippine Council for Mental Health, which reveals that approximately 3.3 million Filipinos, or 3.3% of the population, suffer from depression, with a suicide mortality rate of 3.2 per 100,000 individuals. “To tackle this mental health crisis, House Bill 10934 aims to expand PhilHealth’s coverage to include all mental health disorders for every age group,” Villar stated.
The proposed benefit package would encompass emergency services, psychiatric and neurological care, the Mental Health Gap Action Program, and therapy sessions. Villar emphasized the bill’s role in addressing the rising costs of mental health treatment by mandating an increase in PhilHealth’s benefits to align with current medical service expenses.
In House Bill 10929, Villar further calls for mental health wellness leaves for all workers. “This bill aims to enhance labor productivity and efficiency while raising awareness about the importance of mental health for individual and national well-being,” she noted.
Villar’s proposals align with the Mental Health Act (Republic Act 11036), which affirms the right to mental health services for all Filipinos. “One of the objectives of the Mental Health Act is to create a comprehensive, integrated, and effective national mental health care system that meets the psychiatric, neurologic, and psychosocial needs of the Filipino people,” she added.
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