Capitol-run hospitals not affected by disengagement issue with PhilHealth

THE hospitals run by the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental are not affected by the threat of some private hospitals to disengage with the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) for its alleged continuous failure to pay them reimbursement claims.

"It is the letter of the private hospitals but I don't know what they want to do about it (although) we respect the decision of the doctors," said Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II on Tuesday, November 2.

He said there is no problem with the Capitol-run hospitals because the Province is harmoniously working with PhilHealth.

Diaz said PhilHealth coverage is vital in government hospitals because most of their patients cannot pay for their own hospitalization and medicines.

Whatever happens, he said, the PhilHealth will remain a partner of the Provincial Government-run hospitals, Diaz said.

The Provincial Government runs at least 11 hospitals in the province.

"There are also denied claims but so far the PhilHealth helped a lot like the province payables with the suppliers like (for example) two years ago, (when) we owed about P80 million to P100 million to the medical suppliers but now it has been reduced to P10 million because of PhilHealth," Diaz said.

Meanwhile, Diaz took a swipe at Bacolod Emergency Operations Center Executive Director Em Ang, who said that patients coming from other towns and cities in Negros Occidental admitted in the capital city contributed to its high admission rate.

"What's your basis for your claim?" Diaz asked.

The high transmission rate was used as a basis in placing Bacolod City under Alert Level 4 in terms of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) transmission.

Diaz stressed that as of October 31, only the Bacolod Adventist Medical Center has 100 percent occupancy rate along with the San Carlos City Hospital.

Records from the Provincial Government also showed the Valladolid District Hospital is at 58 percent occupancy rate, Cadiz District Hospital - 90 percent, and Valeriano Gatuslao District Hospital in Himamaylan City - 47 percent.

The Provincial Government-run hospitals have enough bed capacity, he said.

Diaz said he believes that local government units may have referred severe cases to Bacolod-based hospitals because only private hospitals and the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) located in the city are licensed by the Department of Health (DOH) to intubate.

"Our records also show a decrease of our patients in our hospitals and in quarantine facilities, (thus) I don't know where Bacolod City is basing their statements," Diaz said.

It is Bacolod residents that make distress calls on the Capitol's Emergency 911 Center during the long weekends asking for ambulances because they could not find one, he said.

Diaz added that there were even instances that a whole family is asking for a swab test because nobody will do it for for them.

"We cannot say no because this is public health and if it's in Bacolod there is a possibility that it will spread to other areas outside the capital (city)," Diaz said.

The provincial administrator is also wondering if Ang's statement is the official stand of the Bacolod City Government since she already quit as the city administrator when she filed her certificate of candidacy as councilor.