Filipinos housed in what are being called hospital tents outside hospitals due to the shortage of beds are being charged 1000 Pesos (about 20 USD) an hour despite being covered by the country’s national health insurance scheme PhilHealth. For an overnight stay, this amounts to 2895 USD which is a concerning spike in out-of-pocket expenditure especially in a global health emergency where patients might not have the necessary income to pay for this.
The shortage of medical infrastructure is a challenge that the Philippines has been grappling with which is preventing the country to meet its promises of Universal Health Coverage despite a UHC Act in place for over two years now.
PhilHealth does not include hospital tent expenditure in its policy perhaps because it could not have foreseen the need for such coverage back when it came into force. However, they acknowledge that given the extraordinary circumstances, it should be. It also finds mention in the UHC Act of 2019. Politically, it is assumed that the temporary treatment in the temporary facility is part of the hospital benefit package on this ground,
President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered PhilHealth to also cover fees incurred by COVID-19 patients waiting in tents and other facilities set up on hospital grounds as they await admission.
Read the entire CNN Philippines news report here.
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Image Credits: Philippines Information Agency
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