PhilHealth chief downplays threat of private hospitals group to cut ties

PhilHealth chief Ricardo Morales. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) chief Ricardo Morales downplayed the threat of a private hospitals group to cut ties with the government health insurance agency.

Morales said this is nothing but an empty threat and the public has nothing to worry about.

“First, this is not 600 hospitals. This is the statement of one person, of Dr. Rustico Jimenez. So, this is actually an empty threat and our people should have nothing to worry about,” Morales said in an interview with ANC Headstart aired Thursday.

The Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines (PHAPI), whose president is Jimenez, earlier wrote an open letter to Morales to tell him its members might not renew their accreditation to the agency due to delayed reimbursements.

Morales said several private hospitals that PhilHealth has already contacted  denied they have the same position as that of PHAPI’s.

“Because we have been in touch with the hospitals that are supposed to be members of this association and they deny. Each hospital that they contacted, they denied that this is their position,” Morales said.

Hospitals, including those PhilHealth has suspended, continue to work on their accreditation with the agency, Morales said.

“They will continue with their accreditation. And even those hospitals that we have suspended, they are working to reach toward their accreditation,” the PhilHealth president said.

“So there is no truth to the rumor that is claimed that there are hospitals who want to get out of the accreditation list. There is no basis for that,” he added.

Meanwhile, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III appealed to private hospitals to renew their PhilHealth accreditation because withdrawing this will compromise the implementation of the Universal Health Care Act. /jpv

READ: DOH urges private hospitals to stay with PhilHealth