While hospitals struggling with COVID cases like the Ospital ng Maynila have yet to receive reimbursements from the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) for months, some dialysis centers not handling COVID cases got P45 million in a matter of days.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson bared this Tuesday as he illustrated the questionable system of PhilHealth in disbursing its Interim Reimbursement Mechanism (IRM).
“Kaya nauubusan ang pera ng PhilHealth kung saan-saan nyo ginagastos. Sa favorite hospitals and HCIs. Ang iba ang tagal nila nag-a-apply nagre-request ng release ng pondo,” he said at the hearing of the Senate Committee of the Whole.
While PhilHealth officials at the hearing claimed they had paid OSMA as early as June, Lacson pointed out OSMA made a follow-up request as recently as July 9.
“Nagfa-follow up pa sila as of July 9!” he said.
During his opening statement at the hearing, Lacson questioned the release of P226M to freestanding dialysis centers and P4.7M to maternity care package providers.
He noted five branches of a private freestanding dialysis center received P45,176,518 in just a few days.
In contrast, Ospital ng Maynila has yet to receive its PhilHealth fund reimbursement of a mere P19M.
Board member Susan Mercado also noted that among the first to receive IRM funding from PhilHealth were hospitals in Region 8, where SVP for fund management Renato Limciaoco Jr. hails from.
Mercado also affirmed Lacson’s point that the IRM funds were meant for COVID response.
“Maraming doctors na namamatay in the line of duty sa mga hospitals na hindi agad napondohan habang nagpaulan ng pera sa unang nag pass your papers,” she said.
Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)
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