PhilHealth: P500 million paid to Red Cross

MANILA, Philippines — A total of P504.2 million has been paid to the Philippine Red Cross for swab tests conducted by the PRC as of Aug. 12, the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) announced yesterday.

PhilHealth posted on Twitter that the amount represents 115,500 reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction tests for COVID-19.

“The payments covered more than half of the P910 million limit set by the PhilHealth board of directors last May,” the state insurer said.

The agency noted that the P714.6 million referred to by PRC chairman and Sen. Richard Gordon as their collectibles “were covered by three separate billing statements that PhilHealth received on Aug. 13, 14 and 15.”

“These will be processed in accordance to the imposed limit subject to additional allocation as may be approved by the board,” PhilHealth said.

According to Gordon, after giving an advance payment of P100 million, the PhilHealth has been paying the PRC on installment.

“How can we operate if we do not have enough test kits and we do not have money to pay our medical technologists, doctors and other staff? We have been totally cooperative in all aspects but we cannot afford to continue if PhilHealth fails to pay their financial obligations,” Gordon said.

The Department of Health (DOH) yesterday reminded testing laboratories that they are required to issue the test results of patients they examined for SARS-CoV-2.

The DOH said it does not prevent or impose any restrictions to laboratories on the issuance of test results to patients.

The DOH noted there is also no need to ask for permission from the agency to release the test results to patients.

“The responsibility of informing tested individuals or their physicians about the test results falls with the laboratories,” it added.

The DOH made the statement after Gordon said the PRC volunteered to help notify individuals who tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Gordon said some 5,000 of the positive test results they conducted since July 30 have not been relayed to concerned patients.

“Based on the calls, e-mails and text messages we received requesting for their test results, at least one-third of over 15,700 positive cases since July 30 have not been informed,” he said.

Gordon said these individuals “may have been dangerously increasing transmission of the virus in communities.”