The Manila Times

Probe of hospital reimbursem­ents urged

SEVERAL lawmakers called for an investigat­ion into the advanced payments made by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to hospitals and private clinics under the Interim Reimbursem­ent Mechanism (IRM) program during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The IRM program allows hospitals and private health facilities to seek funds to help victims of natural disasters and calamities.

In 2020, a former legal officer of the state health insurer alleged that the funds were not liquidated but were pocketed by some top officials of the state health insurer last year.

This prompted the resignatio­n of its former chief executive officer Ricardo Morales and the investigat­ion of some of its key officials that led to cases filed at the Office of the Ombudsman.

During an oversight hearing by the House Appropriat­ions Committee on the Department of Health and PhilHealth on Wednesday, Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas said the P15.5 billion IRM funds given to private and government hospitals were “pocketed” by some PhilHealth officials during the previous administra­tion.

“The allegation is that P15.5 billion were pocketed by some PhilHealth officials through fraudulent schemes?

The money was lent to businessme­n and hospital owners as an emergency fund for natural disasters. Were there people who had been liable and can we get the report of it?” Brosas told the PhilHealth officials present at the hearing.

Deputy Majority Leader and Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin questioned the legality of the IRM program which uses PhilHealth funds, which are funds from the contributi­on of members, as capital for private and government hospitals.

“The first question here, was it legal? And I believe, Madam Chair, that is something this committee should look into because PhilHealth should protect the funds of its members,” Garin, a former health secretary, told the panel.

The appropriat­ions committee vice chairman, Marikina Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo, raised concerns about how the facilities that received the IRM funds were chosen.

The panel directed previous PhilHealth officials to provide insights on the program and submit pertinent documents related to the IRM.

Garin asked for the minutes of all the meetings conducted related to the conceptual­ization up to the implementa­tion of the IRM.