TACLOBAN CITY – The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) in the region has reported a sharp increase in payments to healthcare facilities, following a surge in dengue cases in the region.
Asisclo Militante Jr., PhilHealth-8 field operations chief, disclosed that as of the first week of September, the agency has disbursed P68.01 million for 6,052 dengue patient claims.
This amount has already exceeded last year’s total payout of P53.90 million, which covered 5,878 dengue cases.
Dengue treatment is included in Phil Health’s benefit package, providing assistance to both members and non-members.
Under PhilHealth, dengue patients admitted to hospitals are eligible for compensation of P13,000—a 30% increase from the previous rate of P10,000.
“Dengue has long been part of the PhilHealth package, provided that patients are confined in a health facility,” Militante said in an interview on Tuesday, September 10.
The rise in dengue cases in Eastern Visayas has been attributed to heavy rainfall across the region.
As of August 30, the Department of Health (DOH) has reported 10,807 dengue cases, with 22 fatalities.
Several local government units in the region, including Ormoc City in Leyte and the cities of Catbalogan and Calbayog in Samar, have declared a state of calamity due to the spike in dengue fever cases.
Meantime, PhilHealth reported that as of June of this year, they have released claims worth over P2.1 billion representing 257,376 patients’ claims.
It also said that in the same period, they have collected more than P1.4 billion broken down as follows: P353.86 million from private sector; P996.02 million from government sector; P115.64 million from self-earning individuals; and P3.97 million from migrant workers.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
