TACLOBAN CITY – The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation has just paid over PHP1 million so far for the management of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases in Eastern Visayas (Region 8).
Although feared by many, spending for coronavirus is lower than managing dialysis and cancer patients, PhilHealth Eastern Visayas acting regional vice president Rosario Suyom said in a press briefing late Thursday.
As of Nov. 4, at least seven health facilities in the region have received PHP1.14 million benefit payment with the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC) here getting over 60 percent of reimbursements.
“EVRMC has the most number of benefits payments since it is a referral hospital. They are the receiving facility for more serious Covid-19 cases, but recently more hospitals treat Covid-19 patients as health workers learned how to manage the coronavirus,” Suyom told reporters.
“Covid-19 may seem to be more expensive due to additional cost for personal protective equipment and mitigation measures, but it is cheaper than managing cancer and dialysis patients because the treatment lasts for years compared to Covid-19 which is manageable for weeks,” she added.
The amount logged as of Nov. 4 is claims of 46 patients who suffered severe Covid-19 symptoms. Data does not capture claims to be received by the state health insurance firm and those under process.
The payment is just a small fraction of the PHP3 billion total benefits payment disbursed by PhilHealth in the region from January to October 2020, Suyom said.
“Monitoring is being done and we have guidelines to ensure that there are no fraudulent claims related to Covid-19 treatment,” she added.
As of Nov. 26, the region has 8,518 Covid-19 cases, including 7,824 recoveries and 88 deaths, bringing the total active cases to 606.
Of the currently active cases, 75.88 percent are asymptomatic, 22.93 percent are mild, 0.69 percent are severe, and only 0.50 percent are critical. (PNA)