THE Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) plans to expand its Guaranteed and Accessible Medications for Outpatient Treatment (Gamot) program nationwide before the end of 2026.
PhilHealth spokesman Dr. Israel Pargas revealed the expansion plan to The Manila Times on Thursday.
Gamot provides members with up to P20,000 worth of free outpatient medicines annually. The benefit covers 75 essential drugs used to treat chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and asthma, aimed at reducing patients’ out-of-pocket expenses for long-term medication.
To avail of the benefits, members or dependents must choose an accredited Yaman ng Kalusugan Program (Yakap) clinic for initial consultation. The Yakap physician will issue a prescription for the needed medicines. The patient can then present the prescription and required identification at an accredited Gamot provider to receive the medicines.
Regular follow-up visits with the Yakap physician are required to monitor the patient’s condition.
Initially launched in Manila in 2025, Gamot is being launched in other cities. On Feb. 17, PhilHealth launched the program in Cebu, in partnership with the Cebu provincial government.
The event included a walkthrough of three Gamot-ready providers, which included Isidro Kintanar Memorial Hospital, Clinica Prime with its partner pharmacy La Nueva and the University of Cebu Medical Center.
Aside from expanding the Gamot program, PhilHealth has also introduced free screening tests for four major cancers in the Philippines under Yakap: free mammography and breast ultrasound for breast cancer, free alpha-fetoprotein tests for liver cancer, free low-dose chest CT scans for lung cancer and a colonoscopy for colorectal cancer.
PhilHealth said it is studying what other benefits it can add to Yakap.