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A woman undergoes a rapid COVID-19 test at the Philippine Red Cross headquarters in Mandaluyong. (Photo by EDWIN BACASMAS / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines – A plane chartered by the Philippine Red Cross will fly to China on Thursday, Oct. 29 to collect 450,000 COVID-19 test kits, Senator Richard Gordon, the organization’s president, said Tuesday night.
“We had written another letter for the plane to take off to China on Thursday,” Gordon said at an online press conference shortly after the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) settled half of its debt of more than 1,000. million dollars with the Network. Cross.
The chartered flight and test kits will cost $ 6 million, according to Gordon.
The flight was supposed to depart for China on Tuesday, but the Red Cross had to cancel it because PhilHealth had not paid the remaining balance.
The Red Cross had no money at the time to pay for the flight and test kits, Gordon explained.
The rescheduled flight will return to the Philippines on Thursday as well.
“We still have the inventory. I play safe … I think we’ll have enough [test kits] the rest of the week, until Sunday. When the ones we are receiving [from China] arrive, then we’ll be safe, ”added the senator, speaking in part in Filipino.
Gordon said the Red Cross would resume “full” COVID-19 testing for the government after PhilHealth paid him 500 million pesos.
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