Iloilo City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas said the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) has not yet settled its payables to the city government and private hospitals in the city.
The claims have only increased from P860 million two months ago to P1,355,454,877.65, Treñas said.
“During the most difficult time, our city hospitals had been vigorously catering to the health needs of both our COVID patients and other patients. It is unfortunate that the total PhilHealth claims of our hospitals have reached P1.3 billion,” he said.
The city mayor has again written a letter to Atty. Valerie Anne H. Hollero, Regional Vice President of PhilHealth-6, on July 9, furnishing her the list of PhilHealth accountables/claims status of the various healthcare institutions in the city.
“We are hoping that this will be resolved immediately so they can continue to serve both the Ilonggos and those from nearby provinces. I am very thankful for their unnerving aid and we will help them as much as we can,” said Treñas.
As of the latest, the hospitals and their unpaid PhilHealth claims are the following:
* The Medical City Iloilo – P88.052 million as of May 31, 2021
* West Visayas State University Medical Center – P49.998 million as of May 31, 2021
* Medicus Medical Center – Not updated
* Metro Iloilo Hospital and Medical Center – P190.756 million as of June 23, 2021
* QualiMed Hospital – P30.393 million as of May 12, 2021
* Iloilo Doctors’ Hospital – P38.265 million as of May 10, 2021
* St. Paul’s Hospital Iloilo – P131.069 million as of July 7, 2021
* Western Visayas Medical Center – P556.984 million as of April 30, 2021
* Iloilo Mission Hospital – P99.645 million as of April 30, 2021, and
* Uswag Iloilo City Molecular Laboratory – P170.289 million as of July 6, 2021.
To recall, Treñas informed Health secretary and Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) chair Francisco Duque III, vaccine czar Carlito G. Galvez Jr., Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, IATF co-chair Karlo Nograles, and PhilHealth president and chief executive officer Atty. Dante A. Gierran about these PhilHealth claims.
In a virtual meeting attended by Treñas, Gierran and medical and hospital directors last May, the PhilHealth chief assured the city government and the city hospitals to “provide solutions.”
Ilonggo senator Franklin Drilon had also pressed for the speedy release of hospitals’ reimbursement claims.
Drilon earlier said that “most or almost all” of Region 6’s 33 hospital claims had been filed by April 8, 2020 yet. (Glenda Tayona)/ASC, WDJ