Universal health care for Kids with Disability

Last updated on May 6th, 2021 at 08:42 am

Senator Win Gatchalian said that the Universal Health Care (UHC) bill would include the medical diagnosis of children with disabilities.

Gatchalian said in a statement on Saturday that this was the purpose of Senate Bill 171 or the “Inclusive Education for Children and Youth with Special Needs Act.”

SB 171 intends to create “Inclusive Education Learning Centers” in all public schools across the country.

Teachers would often rely on assessment tools instead of a medical diagnosis to identify and address learning difficulties. Some of these tools include the Council Checklist on Early Childhood Development and the Multi-Factored Evaluation Program.

Yet Gatchalian recognized that a proper medical diagnosis was still crucial in assessing a learning strategy for a child with a disability.

There are approximately 14,000 regular schools and separate special education centers providing classes to SPED students in the country, based on Department of Education data.

According to Philippine Health Insurance Corporation estimates there are about 5.1 million disabled children living in the country.