Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 12) — The Commission on Audit (COA) has urged the Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC) to secure payment amounting to over ₱200 million for COVID-19 tests done on returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in 2021 and 2022.
In its report for 2022 uploaded on its website on May 30, the COA found that claims for 62,285 tests with a total cost of over P200 million have yet to be filed due to a lack of supporting documents.“The non-filing for reimbursement of the RT-PCR test within the prescribed period due to the issues encountered in securing the required documents and information may result in a significant loss on the part of the PCMC for operational expenses already incurred,” the auditors noted.Under a Department of Health memorandum, the PCMC was directed to process specimens collected by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) from returning OFWs.Accordingly, the costs shall be applied for reimbursement through the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation’s (PhilHealth) benefit package for the COVID-19 RT-PCR test.Issues encountered in documents received by the PCMC from the PCG include unreadable files, forms with no PhilHealth Identification Number, and other necessary information.The COA said the PCMC should require the PCG or the Transportation department’s One Stop Shop to submit properly accomplished Case Investigation Forms and other supporting documents for the specimens.“Exert utmost effort and explore other possible means to collect the amount of P200.277 million from PhilHealth,” the COA said.In its comment, the PCMC management said it is coordinating with the One Stop Shop to obtain the necessary data of OFWs tested.
