Manila, Oct. 5 -- The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) said Wednesday it has granted the provisional contracting of its Z Benefits for orthopedic implants in response to the devastating magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Cebu and nearby provinces on Sept. 30.

The state insurer said the move follows a directive from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., who ordered government agencies to mobilize immediately and provide all necessary support to affected communities.

Currently, only one PhilHealth-accredited hospital in Cebu is authorized to provide Z Benefit packages for orthopedic implants.

To address this gap, the PhilHealth Board approved a special policy granting President and Chief Executive Officer Edwin Mercado the a...