PhilHealth now owes Red Cross over P876M in COVID-19 tests —Gordon

The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) now owes the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) some P876 billion over its COVID-19 testing efforts, according its chairman Senator Richard Gordon.

In a statement on Tuesday, Gordon said the PhilHealth's total balance as of April 5 is P876,048,574.00—an amount which he said would go a long way in sustaining the PRC's COVID-19 pandemic operations.

"I wish PhilHealth would pay us the amount (they owe us) para magamit namin ‘yan para matulungan ang mga nangangailangan. Hindi naman kami naniningil just for the sake of makapaningil but to roll over," Gordon said.

(I wish PhilHealth would pay us the amount [they owe us] so we can use it to help more people. We are not asking them to pay back just for the sake of getting what they owe us, but to roll over.)

"Aside from replenishing our testing supplies, at the same time, we are going into this because there is a need to make sure that our people are safe in their homes, that the asymptomatic will be taken out to isolation facilities where they will be taken care of,” he added.

According to Gordon, PhilHealth's continued failure to settle its obligations is hurting the PRC's operations, especially that the organization is set to open isolation centers in schools, with beds, showers, bath, and food where asymptomatic patients can stay.

“I hope the PhilHealth realizes that the money they are not paying us hurts our operations. They are paying in trickles and we are really having a very, very hard time," he said.

"It’s hard talking to somebody who will say we will cut it by half in about two weeks. They said that about a month and a half ago and nothing has happened,” he added.

Back in October last year, PRC halted conducting COVID-19 tests chargeable to PhilHealth after the latter failed to settle its outstanding balance amounting to nearly P1 billion.

PRC has since resumed testing after PhilHealth settled half of the balance.—AOL, GMA News