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CUT COSTS. A Red Cross worker takes a swab sample from a patient at the Philippine Red Cross laboratory in Mandaluyong City in April. – APPLICATION PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – A group of experts monitoring the COVID-19 situation in the country has urged the government to resolve the impasse between the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), already that their data showed that the PRC’s pause from its test operations resulted in a reduction in reported coronavirus cases in Metro Manila and nearby provinces by about half.
According to OCTA Research’s follow-up report dated October 26 and released to the media on Tuesday, the discontinuation of PhilHealth-funded COVID-19 testing in the People’s Republic of China led to a decline in reported cases by a 40 to 50 percent in the following areas:
- Metro Manila: Quezon City, Manila, Pasig, Makati, Taguig, Pasay, Paranaque, Mandaluyong, Muntinlupa, San Juan and Pateros
- Rizal: Antipolo, Cainta, Taytay
- Cavite: Imus, Dasmariñas, General Trias, Bacoor
- Batangas: Batangas City
- Lagoon: Calamba
“The national government is strongly urged to resolve the deadlock between PhilHealth and the Philippine Red Cross and to retest from the People’s Republic of China,” the research group said.
“Without the testing facilities provided by the People’s Republic of China, our isolation, quarantine and contact tracing programs are at a standstill because LGUs do not know if a person is infected with COVID-19 within the required 24 to 48 hour time frame. “he added. additional.
On October 14, PRC announced that it had stopped testing for COVID-19 under PhilHealth due to the inability of the state insurer to pay off its “ever-increasing outstanding balance” which currently exceeds P930 million.
But according to OCTA Research, public health authorities and pandemic management teams “go blind due to less accurate information” without the RT-PCR testing facilities provided by PRC.
“Accurate test information and increased testing capacity are crucial to managing the pandemic. That [is] in this context, that the government [should] make sure the PRC resumes testing as soon as possible, ”he also said.
The OCTA investigation further noted that another reason to urgently resolve the deadlock between PhilHealth and PRC is the provision of accessible and reliable COVID-19 testing for incoming frontline physicians and Filipino Overseas Workers (OFW).
He said one of the “chilling effects” of the testing disruption in the People’s Republic of China is that thousands of OFWs are now stranded in quarantine facilities awaiting their tests. The group said the test results have been delayed due to the situation between PhilHealth and PRC.
EDV
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