PhilHealth fails to settle Red Cross debt despite promise

The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) has not yet issued any payment to the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) despite the go signal to the state insurer.

PRC Chairperson and Senator Richard Gordon said the PhilHealth owes PRC a total of Php 1.1 billion and “no payment as yet in spite of their numerous announcements that they will pay.”

“We are holding (the) construction of new provincial molecular laboratories such as Quezon, Albay, Pangasinan, BARMM, Laguna… At the moment we are almost out of test kits. To replenish we need to be paid,” Gordon emphasized.

Some transactions on needed equipment and additional test kits were also cancelled due to the unremitted payables. Gordon added that the non-payment to PRC will make them unable to pay test kits and equipment worth $6.8 million.

“Red Cross ang nag-advance, billions ang in-advance sa amin (It is the Red Cross that had advance payments, billions were in advance),” Gordon pointed.

“At the moment we are almost out of test kits. To replenish we need to be paid. We are waiting for payment as the Chinese always require cash payment. Because of PhilHealth’s promises to pay we had chartered a flight to China for tomorrow (October 27),” he said.
Gordon thanked Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. for helping PRC with the procurement permits from the Chinese government.

“But, due to PhilHealth non-payment, we do not have the money to pay for the test kits and other equipment worth $6 million to $8 million just for this particular shipment. We will have to cancel the flight tomorrow if no payment is made,” he said.

This article is an excerpt from: https://www.ptvnews.ph/no-payment-to-red-cross-despite-philhealths-claims-to-pay-gordon/