DUBAI: Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) returning home will have to wait a while for their mandatory swab results because of failure by the allegedly corruption-ridden Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to settle its over P1 billion outstanding balance with the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) to whom the tests were being charged.
This was learned from Hans Leo J. Cacdac, head of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), who, on the evening of Oct.18, announced on his Twitter account that government laboratories have instead been tapped to process the specimens which can be done “within normal processing times.”
Cacdac explained that OWWA has to resort to this “in light of discussions between PhilHealth and PRC about payment of PCR (Polymerase chain reaction) testing of returning OFWs.”
Cacdac said the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) and the National Task Force (NTF) on Covid-19 “have tapped government laboratories to help in the processing of PCR specimen of OFWs swabbed upon arrival at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).”
“Such government laboratories undertake to process swabbed specimens within normal processing time. We humbly seek the patience and understanding of our dear OFWs, as we continue to care for them while they await PCR test results in their hotel quarantine facilities,” the OWWA chief said.
He urged OFWs coming home starting Oct. 15 to register at quarantinecertificate.com to check on the results of their PCR tests.
“PCR test results will be released through this system,” Cacdac said.
The PRC last week stopped the PCR tests, which were being charged to PhilHealth, as mandated under the Philippine Universal Health Care Law, over the failure of the government health insurance agency to settle outstanding balance of P930 million.
In a statement, PRC said it has to stop the swab tests for returning OFWs because of the embattled PhilHealth’s “inability to settle its ever-increasing outstanding balance.”
“This is a difficult decision to a humanitarian organization such as the PRC to make but it has to be made. The PRC does not have unlimited resources to replenish the testing kits for its laboratories unless PhilHealth, its major creditor, settles its lawful obligations to PRC,” the PRC said in a statement dated Wednesday, October 14, but released to the media on Thursday.
The PRC further explained that it “needs the resources to procure test kits and reagents from China.”
“Each of these order require about $6 million per order,” the PRC said.
PhilHealth has recently been under the microscope over alleged rampant corruption involving its top officials – including bloated budget proposals for information and communications technology projects, excessive travel allowances and ghost dialysis patients.
The Daily Bread 