MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DoH) and Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) encouraged informal workers to enroll themselves under the national health insurance program on October 2 as the two agencies mount the first PhilHealth day nationwide.

The one-day PhilHealth registration activity will register the 4.7 million indigents that qualified under the National Household Targeting System (NHTS) conducted earlier by the Department of Social and Development (DSWD).

Health Secretary Enrique T. Ona has repeatedly declared that one of the main thrusts of the administration is the attainment of a universal coverage for Philhealth within the next three years.

But he emphasized that people working in the informal sector who are capable of paying P100 per month should also enroll themselves in PhilHealth for them to avail the benefits of having a health insurance and for the agency to increase its funds.

“A lot of Filipinos are capable of paying P100 per month whether they are self-employed or they belong to the informal sector. I hope they will also take the chance to enroll under PhilHealth,” Ona said.

PhilHealth CEO Dr. Rey B. Aquino said there are more than 40 million Filipinos who own a cellphone and are capable of spending for cellphone load. He hopes these Filipinos will also take charge of their health by enrolling under PhilHealth.

At present, there are 21 million families or some 21, 299, 485 regular individual paying members of PhilHealth.