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MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte wanted to abolish or privatize the controversial Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), but Senate President Vicente Sotto III said he asked the CEO to give him a few months to see how it would operate under new leadership.
Sotto also said the president agreed with his legislative proposal to make the finance secretary the chairman of the PhilHealth board instead of the health secretary, as PhilHealth was more of an insurance corporation than a healthcare institution.
Duterte met with congressional leaders in Malacañang on Wednesday and expressed his desire to abolish PhilHealth or turn it over to the private sector.
Sotto said he asked the president to give former head of the National Bureau of Investigation Dante Gierran, whom Duterte appointed to head PhilHealth on Aug. 31, a chance to show what he could do.
He also informed Duterte of his bill that seeks to place PhilHealth under the leadership of the finance secretary.
“He said he wanted to abolish or privatize PhilHealth, but I said it would be better to wait a few months and see how the new administration performs and that I have a bill that makes the finance secretary the chairman of the board instead of the health secretary. . He agreed with my proposal, ”Sotto said.
When asked Thursday to comment on Sotto’s suggestion, Finance Secretary Carlos Domínguez III responded, citing a biblical passage of Jesus Christ praying in the Garden of Gethsemane on the eve of his crucifixion: “If possible, pass from me this cup “.
‘Solid foot’
Domínguez previously said that the Department of Finance (DOF) has been working since late last year to ensure that PhilHealth can implement the universal health care program.
“The DOF team, comprised of an undersecretary, national treasurer, and a deputy commissioner from the Insurance Commission, has been working closely with PhilHealth since October 2019 to achieve the president’s goal of providing universal healthcare,” said Domínguez. .
He added: “While financing is a key component, improvements in its financial planning and control, as well as in actuarial systems, are critical to achieving this goal. These will help plug all the leaks to allow member and taxpayer premium funds to be used properly. “
“We take these issues very seriously at PhilHealth, and this administration intends to put PhilHealth on a solid financial footing that will allow us to fully implement the Universal Health Care Act,” said Dominguez.
Under Sotto’s bill, the health secretary would remain a member of the board. Today, the finance secretary sits on the insurer’s board, while also overseeing state-owned companies like PhilHealth.
Mandate
The current secretary of health, Francisco Duque III, chairs the PhilHealth board. But according to Sotto, Duque has been avoiding his tenure by appointing a representative to the corporation.
In his explanatory note, Sotto said that one of PhilHealth’s core mandates is to have sustainable funding to ensure the efficient delivery of healthcare services.
But recent anomalies linked to the state insurer have affected its actuarial life and caused alarm among the public, Sotto said.
The Senate previously recommended filing criminal charges against Duque and other PhilHealth officials for questionable payments made to healthcare providers under PhilHealth’s multi-million dollar interim reimbursement mechanism program.
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