Total cleansing, not abolition to solve PhilHealth mess: group

On Friday, President Rodrigo Duterte directed the Department of Justice to create a task force to probe the supposed widespread corruption within PhilHealth. (File Photo: Philippine Health Insurance Corporation/Facebook)

MANILA – A labor group on Friday expressed concern over lawmakers’ calls to abolish the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), which has been hounded by anomalies.

“We are likewise concerned with the statements of several congressmen calling for the abolition of PhilHealth by replacing it with a new one,” the Partido Manggagawa said in a statement.

It is not the right time to push for the abolition of the state insurance firm, the group said adding that total cleansing and justice are needed to save it.

“A health crisis is certainly not a good time to kill a health insurance system. Justice and total cleansing, we contend, is what will save the system from ultimate collapse,” it said.

At the same time, the group expressed hope that the House of Representatives’ investigation on the supposed anomalies in PhilHealth would not be delayed.

“It is for this reason that we call on Congress, as well as the Executive (branch of government), to ensure that neither delay nor diversion affects the ongoing investigation as the Filipino people deserve truth and justice on this issue,” it said.

On Friday, President Rodrigo Duterte directed the Department of Justice to create a task force to probe the supposed widespread corruption within PhilHealth.

The President’s order came after resigned PhilHealth anti-fraud officer Thorsson Monte Keith claimed that some PHP15 billion of the agency’s funds had been pocketed by some corrupt officials.

Keith also disclosed that all members of the state firm’s executive committee composed the “mafia”, which had been allegedly siphoning funds from PhilHealth in the past years through fraudulent transactions.