MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / May 26, 2014) – A Filipino youth group has strongly criticized Philhealth and branded its officials as incompetent following claims by an association of hospitals that the government’s health insurance corporation has been delayed in paying its hospital bills and professional fees since last year.
“Philhealth is now jeopardizing those who are in need because of their failure as an agency, contrary to its marketed purpose. This only shows that Philhealth is a complete failure. Philhealth should be abolished and its funds should be immediately given public hospitals,” Vencer Crisostomo, chairman of the Anakbayan, said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.
Philhealth quickly blamed a computer glitch on why it failed to pay the bills.
“Philhealth cannot fool the public by using a glitch as a scapegoat. If they can manage to give out big bonuses to themselves how come they cannot hire someone to fix this computer glitch?” Crisostomo asked.
Recently the Aquino administration boasted on the World Economic Forum that there is an increase in the number of Philhealth beneficiaries, and that “nowadays, the poorest among our countrymen can simply walk inside any government hospital, show their PhilHealth card, and receive the treatment they need free of charge.”
“We are outraged by the Aquino administration and Philhealth’s compulsive lying. Aquino should be ashamed of himself blurting out lies about the status of healthcare in the Philippines,” Crisostomo said.
“The Aquino administration and Philhealth has brought nothing but suffering among the masses. A liar like Aquino should be booted out office for giving false hope to the public, and his detachment from reality. Philhealth as a tool for the further privatization of hospitals should also be scraped. It is up for the masses to organize themselves, stand up, and push for genuine health care,” he added.
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