28 July 2024, Seoul. Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) officials led by its Senior Vice President for Fund Management Sector Mr. Renato Limsiaco Jr., together with Special Envoy of the President to the Republic of Korea for Digital Transformation Mr. Dennis Anthony H. Uy and Philippine Ambassador to the Republic of Korea H.E. Theresa Dizon-De Vega, visited Korea's National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) and Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) headquarters in Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea on 25 July 2024. The visit is part of the Philippines' push to accelerate the digitalization of the Philippine health insurance system.

NHIS officials led by Executive Director Dr. Jae-ryong Hyun presented an overview of its information system and the national health insurance scheme of Korea. During the meeting, PhilHealth officials shared that full digitalization of the Philippine healthcare system is one of the main priorities of the government in providing universal health coverage for all Filipinos.

The Philippine delegation also received a briefing at the Health Insurance Review Assessment (HIRA) ICT Center, considered as the command center of Korea's public health in Wonju City. HIRA shared information on its review and claims processes utilizing the use of big data, cloud and AI. After the briefing, the Philippine delegation and HIRA President Dr. Jung-Gu Kang met to discuss updates and plans for the healthcare sector, service quality improvement and cost-effectiveness through efficient resource distribution. PhilHealth SVP Limsiaco Jr. conveyed that the agency is interested to learn how HIRA utilizes ICT advancement to deliver services with accuracy and efficiency. Both sides agreed to cooperate further to help PhilHealth towards digitalizing its services. The Philippine Embassy will continue to assist the Philippine health sector, including the Philippine Health Insurance System, to achieve its digital goals. END