The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) owes at least P860,493,324.85 unpaid claims to nine hospitals and the USWAG Molecular Laboratory in Iloilo City.
Mayor Jerry P. Treñas disclosed the PhilHealth payables in his letter to Department of Health (DOH) Secretary and Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) Chairperson Francisco Duque III, vaccine czar Sec. Carlito G. Galvez Jr., Department of Interior and Local Government Sec. Eduardo M. Año, IATF co-chair Sec. Karlo Alexei Nograles, and PhilHealth President and CEO Atty. Dante A. Gierran as he invites them to a meeting “to address the concerns related to the delayed settlement of charges and unjustified refusal of receiving and acknowledging the claims by PhilHealth 6.”
The meeting will be held today at 2:00 p.m. via Zoom video-conferencing platform.
Based on the consolidated data, the private and public hospitals and/or healthcare institutions and the accredited COVID-19 testing laboratory in the city and the respective unpaid PhilHealth claims are the following:
- The Medical City Iloilo – P74.444 million
- West Visayas State University Medical Center – P36. 569 million
- Medicus Medical Center – for updating
- Metro Iloilo Hospital and Medical Center – P78.013 million
- QualiMed Hospital – P30.393 million
- Iloilo Doctor’s Hospital – P38.265 million
- St. Paul’s Hospital Iloilo – P100.870 million
- Western Visayas Medical Center – P349.723 million
- Iloilo Mission Hospital – P99.645 million
- Uswag Molecular Laboratory – P53.572 million
Trenas stressed that this is already the third time that they are having discussions with PhilHealth representatives together with the DOH.
“More than an acceptable explanation from this agency, we demand answers and solutions as our hospitals continuously suffer from losses brought about by their indifference,” said Treñas.
He said continued resistance and prolonged inaction from PhilHealth may foreseeably result in the collapse of the healthcare system in Western Visayas.
“Once and for all, may we earnestly implore your favorable action and benevolence to our dear hospitals by exhausting concerted efforts to aid in the release of these valid claims. We must be reminded that these reimbursements serve as the life of these institutions fighting on the frontline,” Treñas further stressed.
Earlier, Treñas in his request to escalate the quarantine status of the city from modified general community quarantine status to modified enhanced community status, lamented that most of the private hospitals in the city, despite being overwhelmed, are discouraged from increasing their bed capacities for COVID-19 patients due to late payments from the state health insurer. (Glenda Tayona)/WDJ