FILE – Health workers perform swab testing to clients at the Philippine Red Cross in Mandaluyong City on Thursday, September 24, 2020. INQUIRER PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) is currently in talks with eight private laboratories to continue the conduct of COVID-19 tests for returning Filipinos.
This, after the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) halted tests for the government over the nearly P1-billion debt of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).
“Habang wala pa pong kasunduan na magtutuloy ang [Philippine Red Cross] sa pagbibigay ng COVID-19 [tests] ay gumagawa po ng hakbang ang DOH,” Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said during a Palace briefing on Monday.
“Nakikipagusap po sila ngayon, as we speak, to eight private labs to assist our OFWs and returning Filipinos dahil hindi naman po pupwede na maantala ang paguwi ng ating mga OFWs and returning Filipinos,” he added.
Since October 16, PRC stopped conducting tests on arriving overseas Filipino workers, passengers in airports and seaports, individuals asking for COVID-19 tests in government swabbing facilities, front-line health and government workers, and others included in the expanded testing guidelines of the DOH.
President Rodrigo Duterte has assured that the government will pay PhilHealth’s P930-million debt to the PRC.
According to Roque, PhilHealth had assured the eight laboratories talking with the DOH that they have funds to pay them.
“They were all assured by PhilHealth [that] the funds are there. Kinakailangan lang siyempre mag-[comply] sa requirements at sumunod sa accounting procedures, kasama na po yung pricing range depending on kung donated ang machines at testing kits,” he added.
On Sunday, the Philippines’ COVID-19 caseload reached 365,799 confirmed cases. Of the number, over 312,000 were reported recovered while 6,915 have died.