[ad_1]
MANILA, Philippines – The Office of the Ombudsman ordered the preventive suspension of eight officials from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) for disbursing COVID-19 funds to hospitals that do not handle coronavirus cases.
In an order signed by Ombudsman Samuel Martires on Wednesday, the eight PhilHealth officials were identified as Arnel de Jesus, executive vice president and chief operating officer; Renato Limsiaco, Executive Vice President and Director of Operations, Fund Management Sector; Dr. Ismael Francis Pargas, Senior Vice President of the Health Financing Policy Sector; Gregorio Rulloda, Area Vice President II, Concurrent Vice President, PhilHealth Regional Office-National Capital Region; Dr. Imelda Trinidad de Vera-Pe, Head of the Benefits Administration Section; Lolita Tuliao Manager, Central Branch PRO-NCR; Lailani Padua, Fiscal Controller II; and Gemma Sibucao, tax examiner A.
Your preventive suspension from work will be for six months and without pay to ensure impartial investigations into PhilHealth’s Interim Reimbursement Mechanism (IRM).
The state insurer contributed the MRI funds to purportedly provide fortuitous events like the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning that only PhilHealth facilities handling patients affected by the latest strain of coronavirus should receive the funding.
But it was revealed that the MRI funds were also allocated to healthcare facilities that do not handle COVID-19 patients, such as maternity clinics and dialysis centers.
PhilHealth officials have claimed that the IRM funds “were not pocketed by anyone.” But other government officials, including Senator Panfilo Lacson, have warned that it could have opened avenues for corruption.
READ: Rectify Not Enough, PhilHealth Officials Should Be Held Criminally Liable – Lacson
Martyrs’ order against the eight PhilHealth officials was the latest in a series of actions the Ombudsman has taken this week. On Monday, Martires ordered the suspension of 44 officials from the Immigration Office involved in the “Pill scheme.”
After that, the Ombudsman suspended five officials from the Department of Health for the late release of benefits for health workers.
KGA
For more news on the new coronavirus, click here.
What you need to know about the coronavirus.
For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.
The Inquirer Foundation supports our healthcare leaders and still accepts cash donations to be deposited into the Banco de Oro (BDO) checking account # 007960018860 or donate through PayMaya using this link .
Read next
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer and more than 70 other titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download from 4am and share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
For comments, complaints or inquiries, please contact us.
[ad_2]
