The city’s health department on Wednesday clarified that not all animal bite cases are free for treatment, and that only trained personnel are authorized to administer rabies vaccines.
Dr. Jeia Pondoc, head of the City Primary Healthcare Facility, said that barangay health centers can operate with just a health worker and a Barangay Nutrition Scholar, and not necessarily a doctor. This is because the Department of Health has a ratio of one doctor for every 20,000 population.
Regarding animal bite cases, Dr. Pondoc explained that vaccination cannot be done at the barangay level and must be administered by trained personnel such as nurses and doctors at animal bite treatment centers.
The province does not have an animal bite treatment center in every town, and some municipalities have partnered with neighboring towns that have treatment centers.
However, in Tagbilaran, all animal bite patients can go to the city treatment center for check-ups and vaccination.
Dr. Pondoc also clarified that not all animal bite patients are eligible for free services.
If the animal that caused the bite has an owner, the owner is responsible for paying the expenses, and the city health department will ask the owner’s PhilHealth to cover the costs.
Only bite cases caused by stray dogs are eligible for free services.
The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) covers P3,900 of the expenses, which includes P390 for doctor’s and staff fees, and the rest for medication.
However, in some treatment centers, patients may have to pay out-of-pocket if the expenses exceed P3,500.
The clarification comes as the city health department continues to promote rabies awareness and prevention, particularly in areas with high incidence of animal bites.
According to the World Health Organization, the Philippines is one of the countries with the highest number of rabies cases in Southeast Asia.