SENATOR Christopher ‘Bong’ Go renewed his call for continued interventions to address child malnutrition, stressing that it remains one of the most overlooked yet devastating health emergencies in the Philippines.

Go urged both national agencies and local governments to treat malnutrition with the same urgency as other public health threats.

“Marami pa ring batang kulang sa nutrisyon, lalo na sa mga liblib na lugar. Kailangan nating tugunan ito nang mas maaga. Hindi lang ito isyu ng kahirapan kundi ng access sa serbisyong pangkalusugan,” Go said.

Go welcomed the launch of PhilHealth’s Severe Acute Malnutrition Outpatient Therapeutic Care Benefit Package, where the national health insurance agency will cover the full outpatient treatment for child malnutrition.

Spearheaded by PhilHealth with support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and funding from the United Kingdom government, the package offers free medical treatment, nutritional screening, counseling, and therapeutic food to children under five diagnosed with SAM.

Infants under six months are eligible for benefits up to P7,500, while older children can receive up to P17,000 in total assistance.

Expected to assist around 100,000 children annually, the benefit aims to bridge the gap between healthcare access and nutritional care in impoverished and geographically isolated areas.

Go praised the move as a vital expansion of PhilHealth’s social protection role but reminded that broader structural reforms must follow to address the root causes of hunger and health inequity.