Senator Christopher “Bong” Go (Contributed photo)
MANILA – Senator Christopher "Bong" Go reminded hospitals, laboratories, testing centers and other health facilities to follow the price cap for Covid-19 reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing imposed by the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Trade Industry (DTI) to ensure that it remains accessible to the public at a fair price.
“Pinapaalalahanan po natin ang mga hospital, laboratories, testing centers at iba pang health facilities na sumunod sa itinakdang price cap para sa RT-PCR testing at kung eligible po na ma-cover ng PhilHealth, dapat makapag-avail sila ng PhilHealth benefits (We remind our hospitals, laboratories, testing centers and other health facilities to follow the set price cap for RT-PCR testing and whether can be covered by PhilHealth, they should avail of PhilHealth benefits),” Go said in a news release on Sunday.
Go emphasized the importance of ensuring the accessibility of testing to the people, citing its role as one of the major pillars of the government's pandemic response and disease surveillance.
"Dapat tulungan natin ang ating mga kababayang naghihirap ngayon. Huwag hayaang may magsamantala sa kapwa. Dapat maayos, tutukan palagi at panatilihing abot-kaya ang testing sa bansa upang masiguro ang availability, affordability at accessibility nito (Let’s help our suffering people. Don’t let anyone take advantage of them. Testing must be orderly, focused and kept affordable in the country to ensure is availability, affordability and accessibility),” he said.
He noted that Covid-19 testing is a requirement for patients, close contacts and returning overseas Filipinos, among others.
"Dahil sa testing, nalalaman natin kung sino ang dapat i-isolate o nararapat bigyan ng karampatang medikal na atensyon. Importante ito dahil hindi natin nakikita ang kalaban (Because of testing, we know who should be isolated or should be given necessary medical attention. This is important because we do not see our opponent),” Go said.
Go also reminded the public that the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) has its benefit package rates for Covid-19 RT-PCR testing. These testing benefits can be availed of by close contacts of probable or confirmed Covid-19 cases in PhilHealth-accredited testing laboratories.
He urged DOH and DTI to pursue violators and punish them to deter overpricing, saying this will be beneficial in protecting Filipinos from these predators.
"Those who would take advantage of others' pain and profit from it must be punished. Hindi tama na pagkakitaan pa natin ang mga kababayan nating naghihirap dahil sa kasalukuyang pandemya. Huwag na nating dagdagan ang pasanin ng mga Pilipino (It is not right that we still earn money from our countrymen who are suffering due to the pandemic. Let us not give Filipinos additional burden)," Go said.
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier signed Executive Order No. 118 in 2020, directing DOH and DTI to come up with and enforce a price range for RT-PCR testing.
Pursuant thereto, DOH and DTI issued their Joint Administrative Order (JAO) 2020-01 which sets the guidelines for the implementation of the EO and determines mechanisms for the review of the price range, implementation, and monitoring of compliance.
Go called on DOH and DTI to regularly review the price cap to ensure that it stays fair and reasonable.
As of September 2021, price caps for RT-PCR tests were set by the DOH at PHP2,800 for plate-based and PHP2,450 for GeneXpert in public laboratories; and PHP3,360 for plate-based and PHP2,940 for GeneXpert in private laboratories.
"Patuloy po nating i-monitor at pag-aralan ang presyo ng testing para masiguro na angkop ito sa kasalukuyang sitwasyon ng bansa at nananatiling makatarungan ang presyo nito (Let us continue our monitoring and analyze the price of testing to ensure that it is appropriate to the current situation of the country and that its price remains fair),” he said.
Go also urged the government to institute measures to ensure that all accredited Covid-19 laboratories observe transparency in the pricing of diagnostic testing.
“Kailangan din po nating siguruhin na fully informed ang mga Pilipino sa component costs ng medical services at procedures kaugnay sa Covid-19. Dapat alam nila kung para saan ang binabayaran nila at saan napupunta ang pera nila (We also need to ensure that Filipinos are fully informed of the component costs of medical services and procedures related to Covid-19. They should know what they are paying for and where their money is going),” he said. (PR)
