Hospital in Davao City has highest COVID-19 claims – PhilHealth

PhilHealth revealed Tuesday that Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City has the highest amount of claims under Philippine Health Insurance Corporation’s Internal Reimbursement (IRM) program for COVID- 19 patients with P326 million.

PhilHealth’s legal counsel, Roberto Labe, Jr., revealed the information during the Senate inquiry on alleged widespread corruption in PhilHealth on Tuesday.

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UP-Philippine General Hospital with P263 million ranked second, followed by the Davao Regional Medical Center with P209 million.

Included in the top 10 hospital recipients of IRM are:

  • Vicente Sotto Memoral Medical Center in Cebu City (P204 million)
  • Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital (P201 million)
  • National Kidney and Transplant Institute in Quezon City (P179 million)
  • Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (P165 million)
  • Northern Mindanao Medical Center (P150.2 million)
  • Quirino Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City (P150 million) and
  • Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center in Tacloban City (P146.2 million)

According to the data of the Department of Health, the top five regions with the most number of COVID-19 cases were:

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  • National Capital Region with 75,399
  • Central Visayas with 17,653
  • Calabarzon with 17,243
  • Central Luzon with 4,072 and
  • Western Visayas with 2,158.

Also read: Whistleblower: PhilHealth wrongly credited P9.7-M to Bataan rural bank

Hospital in Davao City has highest COVID-19 claims – PhilHealth

Davao City is the hometown of President Rodrigo Duterte and his family. Sara Duterte is reelected mayor of the city while her brother Baste Duterte serves as the vice-mayor. Paolo Duterte meanwhile has the first legislative district seat of Davao City.

The PhilHealth released the list of over 700 medical facilities that would receive a cumulative P15 billion claims to disprove the alleged anomalies in the agency.

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Senator Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri earlier bared Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) released P10 million to a 10-bed infirmary in Davao region. The hospital has no COVID-19 cases.

Zubiri then revealed in a Viber group with reporters that the hospital he was referring to was Golingay General Hospital in Malalag town, Davao del Sur.

The facility was an 18-bed infirmary, which was allegedly among the top seven highest-paid hospitals in the Davao region for pneumonia claims in previous years.

Meanwhile, President Rodrigo Duterte directed the creation of a task force that would investigate the alleged corruption in PhilHealth.

Palace spokesperson Harry Roque said Department of Justice, Office of the Ombudsman, Office of the Executive Secretary, Office of the Special Assistant to the President, the Civil Service Commission, the Commission on Audit, and the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) would form the task force.