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A Matter of Heart

Aug 22, 2020
2 min read

by Sian Yap

The saying “Health is wealth” has been widely used around the globe to promote wellness among the population. Now, the adage has taken a sour turn as the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) faces allegations on fraud and corruption. Earlier this month, Lawyer Throsson Keith revealed to the house committee that during his investigation as the anti-fraud legal officer of PhilHealth, he found that around P15 billion worth of funds were “wasted or stolen”. This brings up a wave of questions such as “who are the people responsible?” or “how long has this been going on?”, but it also sheds light on the need for a better health care and values system in our country.

Currently, the P15 billion in question is attributed to mishandling and favoritism when distributing COVID-19 funds, overpricing the information technology software needed, and the presence of a syndicate which condones fraud and corruption within the company. When further questioned about the distribution of funds from March to June through the Interim Reimbursement Mechanism (IRM), Rodolfo del Rosario Jr., a high ranking PhilHealth official, expressed to the house committee during their investigation that the funds released were indeed illegal. To add fuel to fire, as the house continued to investigate, they noted that at least three officials, including del Rosario, were not even deemed as qualified for their position in the company.

This is also not the first scandal PhilHealth has faced. There were at least six facilities under their care that were accused of scamming their members by making them undergo unnecessary cataract operations without their consent back in 2015. In 2017, Celestina de la Serna, the former interim president of the company, spent around P625,000 for travel costs whilst stating in her defense that these expenses were really needed for her work. In 2018, employees have also protested against the company saying that the funds were terribly mismanaged. PhilHealth was also accused last year for approving payments for dialysis treatments for ‘ghost patients’ or patients who were listed as living, but in reality were dead. And now, PhilHeath, yet again, faces another case of corruption and fraud. Five years worth of scandals and issues is proof enough that there is something internally wrong with the system itself and with the people running it.

As the youth of today and the movers and shakers of the future, let us take in and remember these issues that face us. The systems we have are incredibly flawed but not broken beyond repair, so let us use this as our springboard towards a better future not just for our generation but the ones after us. At the end of the day, it is not the systems in place that make the country, it is the hearts of the people that live in it.