PhilHealth, sasagutin ang Covid-19 testing costs–Nograles

SASAGUTIN ng Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) ang testing costs ng isang indibidwal na nais na magpagamot matapos na ma-infect ng coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

Ito’y upang hindi na mag-alala ang publiko sa magiging gastos kapag nagpagamot dahil sa Covid-19.

Kinumpirma ni Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, na ang Covid-19 tests sa mga ospital ay covered ng Philhealth.
“The President recognizes that everyone in the country is concerned about Covid-19 and the threat this poses to the health and lives of our loved ones, especially vulnerable individuals like senior citizens,” ayon kay Nograles, miyembro ng Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

“Given this, the last thing we want is for our citizens to worry about medical costs and expenses. Their only concern should be their well-being and the well-being of their families,” aniya pa rin.

Ibinahagi rin ni CabSec Nograles na ipinaalam na sa kanya ni President at CEO Ricardo Morales na ang nasabing ahensiya ay nasa proseso ngayon ng “formalizing and operationalizing” ng bagong benepisyo.

Idagdag pa rito na ginagawa lahat ng pamahalaan ang makakaya nito upang matiyak na may sapat na bilang ng testing kits para sa mas mabilis na pag- identify at pag- isolate ng mga infected ng Covid-19.

“We are fast-tracking the deployment of these kits so these can be used at the soonest possible time. Per Dr. Destura of Manila Healthtek, the rapid diagnostic test kit for Covid-19 is set for field validation study, and that UP PGH and the National Institute for Health have agreed to support the study,” ayon kay CabSec Nograles sabay sabing “At this point, they just need to conduct validation of 500 tests for Covid-19 to enable them to conduct clinical sensitivity analysis as a pre-condition set by the FDA. Once it passes the clinical tests, the FDA will grant full access by all hospitals, as guided by the DOH.”

Sinabi pa nito na mayroon ding private hospitals ang nagpahiwatig nang hangarin na makisali sa field validation at ang NIH ay umaasa naman na makakuha ng pagsang-ayon ng ethics committee for field validation testing sa darating na Biyernes, Marso 13. (Daris Jose)