Duterte asks PhilHealth to cover more COVID-19 needs, like patients’ stay in tents

NOT COVERED Even in the early months of the pandemic, many hospitals had to set up tents to accommodate COVID-19 patients awaiting space in their intensive care units. A recent House inquiry revealed that one hospital had been billing “P1,000 per hour’’ for the use of such tents—an expense not covered by PhilHealth. —INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo  Duterte has directed the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to cover more medical needs arising from the coronavirus pandemic, like those of patients diagnosed with mild and severe cases of COVID-19.

“RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) tests, isolation in accredited community isolation [units] and hospitalization for mild and critical cases should be included in the health insurance coverage,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a press briefing on Tuesday.

According to Roque, the President ordered PhilHealth to also cover fees incurred by COVID-19 patients waiting in tents and other facilities set up on hospital grounds as they await admission.

“If the tents are included in the in-patient care, it should be covered by [PhilHealth’s] current in-patient COVID-10- package,” Roque said.

The move was apparently in response to revelations made during a House hearing last week, when Bayan Muna Rep. Ferdinand Gaite called attention to the case of one COVID-19 patient who was charged “P1,000 per hour” by a hospital while waiting in a tent for admission to the intensive care unit. Gaite said the patient, a friend of his, had to spend the night in the tent and ended up being billed P140,000 just for its use.

PhilHealth Acting Senior Vice President Neri Santiago explained that “hospital tents are not accredited, there are no standards yet for that’’ and that staying there prior to admission was therefore not included in its COVID-19 package.

But Santiago said the state health insurer may have to “revisit’’ its policies in view of the matter raised by the lawmaker.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III later called the fees a form of “highway robbery” and vowed to investigate the hospital cited in the House inquiry.

—Jerome Aning INQ