PhilHealth and free care in the Philippines
Every Filipino is covered by PhilHealth. Care usually starts close to home, at your barangay health station or rural health unit, which can send you to a hospital when you need one. Consultations at public health centres are free.
PhilHealth YAKAP gives free consultations, a yearly check-up, lab tests and some medicines at one clinic you choose. In government hospitals, the basic ward is meant to cost you nothing under the Zero Balance Billing policy, and Malasakit Centers help with what is left of a bill. An HMO or private insurance can add to what PhilHealth pays.
The guides below explain how to register, what each benefit covers, what to bring and how to ask for help with costs. Rules and amounts change, so check with the facility or PhilHealth before you go.
9 guidesUpdated November 1, 2026
In an emergency, go to the nearest emergency room or call 911. Call 911
Symptoms and conditions
HIV symptoms and free, confidential testing in the Philippines
HIV symptoms are easy to miss. Some people get a flu-like illness 2 to 6 weeks after infection, but many feel well for years, so only a test can tell. HIV testing is confidential, often free at government and community sites, and allowed from age 15 without parental consent. If you had a possible exposure in the last 72 hours, go now and ask for PEP. Daily treatment (ART) at a treatment hub lets people with HIV live long, healthy lives, and PhilHealth's OHAT package helps pay for it.
Prevention and vaccines
Anti rabies vaccine: schedule, cost and free animal bite centers
The anti rabies vaccine protects you after a bite, scratch or lick from an animal that may have rabies. Rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms start, but the vaccine works very well when you get it early and finish every visit. Wash the wound with soap and water for 15 minutes, then go to an animal bite treatment center the same day. Government centers give the vaccine free when they have stock, and PhilHealth's animal bite package helps pay for serious bites.
Annual check up: what tests adults need and where to get them free
An annual check up is a visit to a doctor or nurse when you feel well. It finds problems like high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol early, before they cause harm. The tests you need depend on your age, sex, health and family history. In the Philippines, you can get a yearly check-up and many lab tests free at a public PhilHealth YAKAP clinic, such as your rural health unit or city health center.
How-to guides
Who are the right sources of health information? A guide for Filipinos
The right sources of health information are the Department of Health, PhilHealth, the FDA Philippines, the WHO, your health center, and licensed doctors, nurses, midwives and pharmacists. Before you believe or share a health post, check who made it, why, where the facts come from and how old it is. Be wary of miracle cures and testimonials, check products with the FDA, and trust PhilHealth news only from philhealth.gov.ph and its official pages.
Getting care and costs
Malasakit Center: how to get help with your hospital bill
A Malasakit Center is a one-stop help desk inside many government hospitals. Staff from PhilHealth, DSWD, PCSO and DOH programmes sit side by side there. They help patients who are poor, or who simply cannot pay a big bill right now, with the cost of hospital care, medicines, tests and some non-medical needs. Bring a valid ID, a clinical abstract and your bill, and see the social worker early in the hospital stay. Asking for help is free.
Health insurance Philippines: PhilHealth, HMOs and health cards
Under the Universal Health Care Act, all Filipinos are automatically included in PhilHealth, the national health insurance. An HMO (the company behind a "health card") or a private health insurance policy is extra cover you can add. When you are admitted, PhilHealth and discounts required by law are taken off the bill before an HMO or insurer pays, up to its limits. This guide explains each kind of cover, how to sign up and what to ask before you buy a plan.
PhilHealth YAKAP (formerly Konsulta): how to register and what is free
PhilHealth YAKAP is the free primary care benefit that replaced Konsulta in 2025. Every Filipino can register with one YAKAP clinic for free consultations, a yearly health check, lab tests, cancer screening and up to ₱20,000 a year in medicines. You choose a clinic through the eGovPH app, the PhilHealth Member Portal, a PhilHealth office or the clinic itself, then complete your first visit there. Public YAKAP clinics charge nothing for covered services.
Health care system in the Philippines: where to go and who pays
The health care system in the Philippines works like a ladder. Everyday problems belong at the bottom rung: the barangay health station, the rural health unit (RHU) or your YAKAP clinic, whose staff send you up to a hospital when you need one. Every Filipino is covered by PhilHealth under the Universal Health Care Act. If you still can't pay a government hospital bill, ask for its Malasakit Center. In an emergency, go straight to the nearest emergency room.
What does PhilHealth cover? PhilHealth benefits explained
PhilHealth is the Philippines' national health insurance, and every Filipino is covered under the Universal Health Care law. It pays for hospital stays, emergency room care, pregnancy and childbirth, dialysis, some outpatient treatments, primary care through YAKAP, and costly illnesses under Z Benefits. Under PhilHealth's rules, covered care in a ward bed at an accredited hospital should cost you nothing extra. Here is what PhilHealth covers as of October 2026 and how to use it.
Common questions
Each answer is in the guide it links to.
Questions about your own situation?
Dante, our Free care navigator, answers in your language, free, any time. Dante is an AI agent, not a person: in an emergency, call 911.