PhilHealth: Davao City-based SPMC got lion's share of reimbursement for COVID-19 patients

Davao City-based Southern Philippines Medical Center got the highest amount of compensation under the state insurer Philippine Health Insurance Corporation’s Internal Reimbursement (IRM) program for COVID- 19 patients with P326 million.

This was revealed by PhilHealth's legal counsel, Roberto Labe, Jr., during the second day on Senate inquiry on alleged anomalies in PhilHealth.

A far second is the UP-Philippine General Hospital with P263 million followed by the Davao Regional Medical Center with P209 million.

Rounding up the top 10 hospital recipients of IRM include:

• Vicente Sotto Memoral Medical Center in Cebu City (P204 million)
• Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital (P201 million)
• National Kidney and Transplant Institute in Quezon City (P179 million)
• Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (P165 million)
• Northern Mindanao Medical Center (P150.2 million)
• Quirino Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City (P150 million) and
• Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center in Tacloban City (P146.2 million)

Based on Department of Health records, the top five regions with most number of COVID-19 cases were:

• National Capital Region with 75,399
• Central Visayas with 17,653
• Calabarzon with 17,243
• Central Luzon with ,4072 and
• Western Visayas with 2,158.

Davao City, which is under Davao Region, is the hometown of President Rodrigo Duterte.

The details were revealed a week after PhilHealth’s former anti-fraud  legal officer Thorrsson Montes Keith accused PhilHealth’s senior officials of pocketing P15 billion through several fraudulent schemes, including the IRM, cash advances, and the continuous procurement of IT equipment the agency already has.

These allegations have since been denied by PhilHealth officials.

The Philippines has recorded 136,638 COVID-19 cases so far. Of this number, 68,159 recovered while 2,293 died.

This makes the number of active COVID-19 cases at 66,186.—AOL, GMA News