THE PHILIPPINE Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) has tapped UST Hospital (USTH) to be one of the accredited providers of the Yaman ng Kalusugan Program (Yakap), which provides free preventive medical services.
Launched in July 2025, the Yakap program offers free consultations, referrals, laboratory tests, cancer screenings, and essential medicines, said Dr. Bernadette Lico, PhilHealth vice president for the National Capital Region, in an orientation on Sept. 4 at the Albertus Magnus Auditorium.
Lico introduced the program’s benefits and said enrollment could begin as early as a child’s birth.
Under Yakap’s Guaranteed Accessible Medication for Outpatient Treatment, the number of free medicines was expanded from 21 to 75, she said.
By 2026, all 75 medicines will be distributed through accredited pharmacies, including in UST Hospital.
UST Hospital will also facilitate referrals for free cancer screening tests, a new benefit meant to address the rising number of cancer cases, according to the Department of Health.
Those who are interested must register as a PhilHealth member and go to an accredited Yakap facility, which will be followed by a health screening with an accredited physician.
The orientation included an onsite PhilHealth registration, a panel discussion, and an open forum.
The orientation was attended by University staff and students, as well as UST Hospital medical director Dr. Charito Malong-Consolacion and chief executive officer Fr. Julius Factora, O.P.
First implemented in 2021 as the “Konsulta Program,” PhilHealth rebranded the service to Yakap to highlight “proactive healthcare.”
“When we say Konsulta, it promotes active illness. Kung baga parang may sakit na po kayo,” PhilHealth marketing officer Mel Mendiado said.
“That’s why we transitioned it to Yakap, because we wanted it to be a preventive,” Mendiado said.
