Malacañang said on Tuesday that President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation or Philhealth to shoulder COVID-19 patients in tents, isolation, and even their swab tests.
“Nagbigay ng direktiba po ang ating Presidente sa Philippine Health Insurance Corp. na kasama sa health insurance coverage ang RT PCR tests, isolation sa accredited community isolation units at hospitalization para sa mild at critical cases ng COVID-19,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a briefing.
“Kaugnay nito, kung ang tents ay kasama sa in-patient care, kailangan covered ito sa kasalukuyang in-patient COVID-19 package,” he added.
In a hearing at the House of Representatives, a lawmaker exposed that some patients pay hospitals for Php1,000 per hour even though they were only admitted in tents.
PhilHealth said in a statement that it has noted the current situation where patients are temporarily placed in tents because hospitals can no longer admit them in regular hospital beds.
Some medical facilities are allegedly charging a P1,000 per hour rate for patients in tents. Philhealth said that they will investigate these claims.
“Be it COVID-19 or not, patients should be afforded with all the financial help as guaranteed by the Universal Health Care Law,” the statement read.
The statement was made after some COVID-19 patients and their relatives complained that they have to pay their hospital bills since being admitted in tents is not covered by Philhealth.
PhilHealth said it “has been reviewing existing policies to better respond to the extraordinary demands brought about by this pandemic.”
“Enhanced guidelines will be issued the soonest to ensure that adequate financial protection is duly provided to the patients without compromising the quality of care,” the agency added.
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