No proof of syndicate at PhilHealth — DoH chief
Herbosa said he is open to suggestions from lawmakers to address questioned activities in the agency
Daily TribuneHerbosa said he is open to suggestions from lawmakers to address questioned activities in the agency
Health Secretary Ted Herbosa
Health Secretary Ted Herbosa on Tuesday admitted to lawmakers that corruption remains a problem in the health sector, but there's no proof to back a similar allegation at the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation or PhilHealth.
During the Commission on Appointments deliberation on his ad interim appointment, Herbosa was asked if he could confirm the alleged corruption in the state-run health insurer.
Herbosa's ad interim appointment has been bypassed for "lack of material time."
"PhilHealth has been involved in many scams in the past administrations such as the pneumonia scam [and] cataract scam," said Camarines Sur 2nd District Rep. LRay Villafuerte, the majority leader at the CA.
"There are scams waiting to explode. The public is listening. Can you safely say that there is a syndicate in PhilHealth?" Villafuerte said.
Responding to Villafuerte's query, Herbosa said he had no proof to support the lawmaker's claim. He, however, said that it has been a problem of every administration.
"I have no proof that there is a syndicate. But it is true that every president and every administration had problems to deal with [regarding] that," he said.
As secretary of the Department of Health, Herbosa said he sits as an ex-officio non-voting chairperson of the PhilHealth's board of directors. He underscored the state-run health insurer's role in realizing the promise of the Universal Health Care Act.
"PhilHealth is important because the success of the Universal Health Care Law lies with it," he said. "What I really want is an efficient running of PhilHealth. However, if it does not turn out well, we may propose suggestions to correct it legislatively," he added.
Herbosa said he is open to suggestions from lawmakers to address the questioned activities in PhilHealth.
"Maybe the legislature can help us with the laws that can actually change it, then probably cleanse PhilHealth of fraudulent individuals that are feeding on tons of money there that's supposed to be given to the public," he said.
"There are still ways. We can discuss and study solutions to these problems that may arise," he added.
