ALL UST employees may now avail a wellness check-up package that covers processes required under the Manila health permit ordinance, but only those who are qualified for medical and hospitalization benefits such as regular academic and support staff will enjoy it for free.
According to the UST Health Service’s guidelines, the University will shoulder the expenses of the wellness package for tenured employees, probationary teaching personnel with at least one year of service and lecturers hired before academic year 2001-2002.
Non-tenured academic personnel, direct-hired support staff and sub-contractors will only be entitled to a discounted package and must pay P365 for the health certificate and occupational permit annually.
“This program, designed to encourage proactive health management, and early detection of potential health issues, includes a comprehensive set of health screening and assessment procedures, ensuring that all members of the community are informed about their individual health status. Further, the results are necessary for the acquisition of health certificates as mandated by the Manila Health Department,” UST Secretary General Fr. Louie Coronel, O.P. said in a memorandum dated Dec. 16.
Earlier this year, the city-wide health permit requirement drew flak from employees and labor leaders for requiring workers to pay P625 every year for medical processes that can only be undertaken at the Manila Health Department’s facilities.
The requirement was in line with the local government’s Ordinance 8793 or the Sanitation and Disinfection Code of the City of Manila enacted in 2022.
The city health office sought to relax the much-criticized policy by allowing private schools to undergo laboratory examinations at any testing site. It also reduced the health permit cost to P365.
The UST wellness package comes with a medical examination and laboratory tests, including fecalysis, chest x-ray, urinalysis and CBC with platelet.
University personnel who will receive the wellness program’s full coverage must undergo laboratory testing at the UST Hospital only, while those who will acquire the package at a discounted rate may complete health examinations within or outside the University.
The test results and proof of payment must be submitted to the Health Service within the deadline set by the Office for Faculty Evaluation and Development for the timely release of employment contracts before the start of the next term. Part-time academic staff may present their health permit from the local government unit where they took the laboratory test to the University’s health service.
Meanwhile, direct-hired support staff must present their health certificate before the University renews their contract. The same applies to employers providing sub-contracted services who must submit their employee’s health permit before the University renews its contract with the company.
The UST Health Service also emphasized that a professional tax receipt (PTR) will no longer be accepted as a substitute for the health certificate.
In September, Manila Health Department head Arnold “Poks” Pangan wrote a letter informing the UST labor unions that there had been a “misconception” that a PTR could be a replacement for a health certificate. His clarification contradicted an earlier UST memorandum that licensed professionals may be exempted from the health permit requirement if they paid a tax receipt.
READ: Manila health chief differs from UST memo, says licensed professionals must also get health permit
The city health officer pointed out that a PTR is provided by the local government as proof of tax compliance and as a professional’s legal obligation to the government, not to certify a person’s health status.
Administrators and academic staff must schedule their outpatient wellness check-ups on or a month before or after their birth month, while support staff are allowed in June and July only. F
