MARCOS BRINGS YAKAP CARAVAN TO CENTRAL LUZON

TO ensure that school communities remain healthy, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. oversaw the ongoing Yaman ng Kalusugan (YAKAP) caravan at Aurora National High School in Baler, Aurora, on Monday.

The caravan is part of the Clinics for Learners’ Access to School Health Services Plus (CLASS+) program, a collaboration between the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), aimed at linking school clinics with the local health system.

CLASS+ is being implemented through the PhilHealth Konsulta, the agency’s primary care benefit package that provides consultations, laboratory tests, and medicines.

To be more effective, PhilHealth has expanded and strengthened Konsulta by incorporating it into the new YAKAP Program.

The YAKAP Program aims to care for all Filipinos through free check-ups, laboratory tests, cancer screening tests, and medicines, entitling every member to up to P20,000 worth of medicines each year.

For the YAKAP caravan in Aurora, more than 200 elementary students underwent eye check-ups, according to DepEd.

This is in addition to over 350 teachers, non-teaching personnel, and high school students who benefited from various medical services, including X-rays, electrocardiograms (ECGs), urinalyses, and ultrasounds.

Monday’s event was conducted following the successful June 18 caravan at Esteban Abada Elementary School in Quezon City attended by Education Secretary Sonny Angara, Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Teodoro Herbosa, and Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte.

The DepEd, DOH, PhilHealth, and local government units (LGUs) have collaborated with the diagnostic company 1Life Philippines to provide periodic check-ups for students, teachers, and non-teaching personnel.

DepEd aims to expand not only the caravan drive but also the CLASS+ program to other regions.