PhilHealth committed 'grave abuse of discretion' over case of Cebu hospital —Lacson

Senator Panfilo Lacson on Sunday alleged that the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) committed "grave abuse of discretion" when it overturned the order of its board and of the Court of Appeals in the case of a hospital in Cebu over its supposedly anomalous collections from the state health insurer.

In a Dobol B sa News TV interview, Lacson recalled what transpired during a Senate hearing last week on the issues hounding the PhilHealth, where officials involved pointed fingers at each other after an alleged "mafia" within the agency was mentioned.

Lacson specifically focused on the case of Perpetual Succor Hospital in Cebu according to the testimony of William Chavez, regional vice president of PhilHealth Region 7.

Chavez reportedly recommended to the PhilHealth board the suspension of Perpetual Succor Hospital's accreditation for collecting about P30 million monthly from the state health insurer for supposedly fraudulent claims.

Lacson said Perpetual Succor Hospital was supposed to pay P10,000 in fines and be suspended for three months.

The PhilHealth board, he added, upheld the recommendation. The hospital then appealed to the Court of Appeals to reverse the PhilHealth board's decision but the former sided with the state health insurer.

The hospital then wrote to the PhilHealth board to reconsider its decision, according to Lacson.

"Ang ginawa ng PhilHealth board, sa letter of reconsideration ng Perpetual Succor Hospital, aba'y binaliktad hindi lang 'yung kanilang decision kung hindi pati 'yung Court of Appeals," Lacson said.

"E doon pa lamang kitang-kita natin 'yung grave abuse of discretion. Ang tanong, bakit binaliktad? Ginawa na lamang na P100,000 'yung multa at wala nang suspension," he added.

Lacson also said after the PhilHealth reversed its decision as well as of the Court of Appeals, they went on a trip to Europe.

This led Lacson to believe that the expenses for the travel were paid for.

"Circumstantial pero wala naman tayong maipapakita kung sino ang gumastos sa biyahe pero kitang-kita natin na nalibre... Kasi kung P30 million isang buwan at suspension mo tatlong buwan, puwede pang matanggal 'yung accreditation mo, aba'y P90 million mahigit 'yung na-save ng Perpetual Succor," he said.

"Pero pinagmulta na lang sila ng P100,000. 'Yung P100,000, oo nga't mas malaki sa P10,000, pero tinanggal mo naman 'yung tatlong buwang suspension," he added.

Lacson said when he gets the chance, he would ask former PhilHealth president Roy Ferrer and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, as its ex-officio chairman, about the trip.

"'Yun ang mga dapat nating makita sa pagtuturuan kung sino 'yung tunay na mafia at sino 'yung tunay na dapat na may pananagutan," he said. —Erwin Colcol/KG, GMA News