The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (Philhealth) has set a P210,000-benefit payment for standard-risk acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) or fast-growing cancer of the blood in children.

“This is our second-largest single benefit payment for a catastrophic illness, next to our P600,000-package for end-stage renal disease requiring a kidney transplant,” said Philhealth president and chief executive officer Dr. Eduardo Banzon.

“We will spare no expense to save our children with ALL. Almost 90 percent of cases are curable, though a number of side effects of treatment can linger well into adulthood,” he proclaimed.

ALL accounts for about 75 percent of all childhood leukemia cases, according to the Department of Health. The remaining 25 percent is classified as chronic, or slow growing.

The P210,000-benefit payment will adequately protect Philhealth members against the risk of incurring ruinous medical expenses in the event a child develops ALL, according to Banzon.

He described ALL in a child as “a harsh disease that requires prolonged and costly treatment, hospitalization and recovery.”

“The illness tends to create a financial hardship for the family. In some cases, the father or mother has to totally stop working just to be able to look after the child,” he pointed out.

Banzon said that the P210,000-benefit payment covers the cost of the entire treatment course lasting up to three years in contracted hospitals, including chemotherapeutic drugs, the necessary laboratory tests, confinement, and the professional fees of specialists.

He said that Philhealth members, including overseas Filipino workers, who have children with standard-risk ALL, may avail of the benefit package in any of the 13 specially contracted hospitals countrywide capable of treating the disease.

These are the Philippine Children’s Medical Center, Philippine General Hospital, Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center, Cagayan Valley Medical Center, Dr. Paulino Garcia Memorial Research and Medical Center, Jose Lingad Memorial General Hospital, Batangas Regional Hospital, Bicol Regional Teaching and Training Hospital, Bicol Medical Center, Western Visayas Medical Center, Northern Mindanao Medical Center, Southern Philippines Medical Center, and the Davao Regional Hospital.

Negotiations are ongoing with additional public as well as private hospitals that may be enlisted by Philhealth to deliver the benefit package, Banzon said.